Department for Transport

Department for Transport: UK Membership of EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency arrangements his Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer my hon Friend to the answer given to him by my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 14 January 2016 (UIN 21952)http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-01-11/21952/.

Reading Station

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the outturn cost was of the Reading Station Area Redevelopment project.

Claire Perry: I have been informed by Network Rail that the total cost of the scheme is £895m, including renewals over a wider area and a new train maintenance depot. This is approximately £100m under budget and the station upgrade was also completed a year ahead of schedule.

Great Western Railway Line

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on (a) the peak seat capacity (b) demand for rail services between Reading to London Paddington during each peak morning hour.

Claire Perry: With regard to the peak seat capacity for rail services between Reading to London Paddington, this is commercially confidential information.We do not hold information on the demand for rail services specifically between Reading to London Paddington. This is because as most services into Paddington call at Reading, it is difficult to separate passenger numbers between those who are on services prior to arriving at Reading travelling to Paddington; those who are travelling to intermediate stations from Reading; those who change at Reading from other start points; and those travelling between Reading and Paddington.Official figures showing the numbers of passengers travelling on trains throughout the day in several major cities can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/466412/rail-passengers-crowding-2014.pdf. For Paddington station in 2015, the proportion of standard class passengers that are above the capacity on their service at its busiest point is a total of 10.4%.

Electric Vehicles

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Highways Act 1835 to allow for the use of self-balancing scooters, segways and z-boards on roads.

Andrew Jones: To maintain the UK’s position as a world-leading location to test, develop, and use connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies, the Department for Transport is planning a wider review of domestic regulations by Summer2017. The review is at an early stage.While the Highways Act 1835 will form part of the review, decisions have yet to be taken as to which regulatory changes will be necessary to support CAV technologies, or if the review will cover other forms of transport such as Segways, or so-called ‘hoverboards’, ‘balancing scooters’ and ‘z-boards’, all of which may already be used on private land.

Parking Offences: Disclosure of Information

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the profile of applications to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency for access to vehicle ownership data for the purpose of enforcing parking penalties was each month in the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not hold vehicle keeper information. This is the responsibility of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).Requests to the DVLA for vehicle keeper information can be made electronically or manually by post.The number of electronic requests made each month to the DVLA by private parking companies since April 2012 is shown in the table below:2015201420132012January232,906211,956144,248-February 234,175187,247138,392-March274,875218,338149,227-April278,855224,480183,463154,703May277,534221,337197,278162,954June300,892229,159183,201151,186July320,445257,471222,456183,242August297,060241,344217,557176,121September325,429285,178202,950172,151October407, 346287,329223,105164,975November316,057257,364201,904168,677December358,150273,749180,675131,696A monthly breakdown of the electronic requests made by private parking companies before April 2012 is not available.The monthly number of manual requests made specifically by private parking companies is not available. The table below shows the quarterly amount of requests made manually via post. These figures include requests from private parking companies and other organisations or individuals who can demonstrate reasonable cause for needing the information.20152014201320122011Jan – Mar61,99699,72079,99692,00270,453Apr – Jun57,11789,96298,24994,39972,429Jul – Sep65,20492,02390,48776,74073,474Oct – Dec69,18368,34198,40568,60459,013

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures the Government plans to take to reduce (a) carbon emissions and (b) air pollution from shipping moored (i) off Enderby Wharf and (ii) in other inshore UK waters.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government has implemented the international and European requirements which control emissions from ships operating in inshore waters, including those moored at Enderby Wharf. We will continue to work at the International Maritime Organization and within the EU to reduce maritime emissions.Through the National Policy Statement for Ports, the Government has encouraged ports and shipping companies to examine the opportunities available for shore-side electricity connection, particularly in areas identified as having poor air quality. Ultimately however, it is a matter for the Local Authority to consider what conditions should apply to a planning application before consent is given.

Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to reduce (a) carbon emissions and (b) air pollution from maritime transport and air transport.

Andrew Jones: Given the international nature of the maritime and aviation sectors, the UK works primarily through UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) to ensure strong action on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at a global level is taken.We are working with other states in ICAO to agree a global CO2 standard for aircraft and a global market-based measure to tackle aviation emissions growth, both of which will be subject to important decisions in 2016. We also continue to support the use of regional emissions measures, such as the Aviation EU Emissions Trading Scheme in the absence of a global measure. On air pollution from aviation, we are also working in ICAO to reduce particulate matter emissions, following the organisation’s introduction of a standard to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.With maritime emissions, the UK is working in the IMO towards developing global data collection systems on ships’ CO2 energy efficiency. Moreover, following the introduction of a new 0.1 per cent sulphur limit on 1 January 2015, there has been a significant reduction in sulphur pollutants emitted by ships operating in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea emission control areas.

Railways: Passengers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of passengers forecast to use the rail network in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The most recent passenger forecasts for the rail network are published in the December 2014 National Policy Statement for National Networks (NPS)[1]. A summary of these forecasts is shown below:Table 2: Growth in Passenger km (in %) since 2011 including Phase 1Year202020262033London & South East20.4%31.2%46.1%Long distance12.9%36.8%63.8%Regional8.7%16.5%32.8%Total (average)15.3%30.5%50.1%Source: Network Modelling Framework (NMF) – estimates based on model runs conducted in October 2014. HS2 forecasts have been supplied by HS2 Ltd modelling team and incorporated as overlays to the NMF numbers.These can be compared against Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures[2] for existing rail usage for the financial year 2014-15:SectorNumber of passenger kilometres travelled (billions)London & South East29.6Long Distance20.8Regional12.0Total62.4The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently undergoing an extensive update of the models involved in forecasting rail demand, specifically in preparation for the Control Period 6 planning. The update will ensure more recent evidence and data are taken into account whilst also ensuring wider consistency with separate modelling being conducted on the High Speed Rail (HSR). Later in 2016 DfT will be in a position to make another publication of forecasts ready for CP6.Given the nature of the model, a 10-year successive forecast for rail is not published. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/387222/npsnn-print.pdf 2.28 to 2.41[2] https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/34856085-cf9c-4e0d-a7f8-8f9e5ee1b772

Railways: Okehampton

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to extend railway network services between London and Okehampton.

Claire Perry: We are absolutely committed to ensuring that the South West has the best infrastructure possible and we are determined to do everything possible to stop damage like we saw in 2014 happening again. That is why we have invested £31 million into improving the resilience of rail routes in the South West, and Network Rail spent £40 million on repairing and strengthening the line at Dawlish after the extreme weather.We are working with the rail industry and the Peninsula Rail Task Force as they explore the potential for longer-term improvements in the area, including the premise of additional routes to the current mainline route via Dawlish.

London Airports: Accidents

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has conducted a comparative assessment of the loss of life as a result of an aircraft crashing on approach or arrival at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 11th January 2016 (UIN 20996) http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=QuestionsWithAnswersOnly&house=commons%2clords&uin=20996.

Bus Service Operators Grant

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take account of lower fuel costs in its reform of the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Andrew Jones: The Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) is paid to operators based in England on a fixed rate of £0.3457 per litre and is no longer directly linked to fuel duty. As a result, changes in fuel costs should not have any direct impact on the uptake of BSOG. We will be publishing more details of our plans to reform BSOG later this year.

Southeastern

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Southeastern trains and Network Rail have contingency plans in the event of a rail line being closed due to unforeseen circumstances in order to (a) minimise disruption to other rail lines, (b) provide extra capacity on adjacent lines to get passengers as close as possible to their usual destinations and (c) ensure that up-to-the-minute information is provided to passengers regarding alternative routes and replacement services; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Southeastern have Key Route Strategies in place in case of a line closure. These include options such as replacement buses, ticket acceptance on other routes and if possible on other forms of transport.Where events are likely to disrupt the service longer term, Southeastern consider re-working the timetable to minimise disruption as much as possible.Southeastern work closely with Network Rail in managing such events. Network Rail and Southeastern have confirmed that whilst rail lines in the South East are extremely busy and tend to already run at capacity at peak times, it may sometimes be possible to provide extra capacity by strengthening the service on adjacent lines, depending on both rolling stock availability and operating capacity in the peak.Network Rail support train operators in providing timely information to passengers. Arrangements for putting contingency timetables in place have been improved significantly in recent years, which enables National Rail Enquiry Service to be amended earlier and more timely information to be communicated to passengers. This helps particularly with communicating timetable changes and rail replacement services.

Bexleyheath Railway Line: Landslips

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects repairs to the Bexleyheath line to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: I am glad to inform the House that Network Rail re-opened the Bexleyheath line on the morning of 15 January following the landslide that temporarily closed the line.

Railways: Landslips

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether railway verges are surveyed to identify locations where there is a danger that landslides may occur; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: This is an operational matter for Network Rail. Network Rail advises that its railway earthwork assets are inspected by suitably qualified engineers at intervals of 1, 3, 5 and 10 years. The frequency of inspection is driven by the hazard rating of the asset, which is calculated from data that is recorded during visual observations across the slope.The likelihood of an earthwork asset failing increases during periods of rainfall, in particular during extreme rainfall events. During times where there is an increased likelihood of failure, additional inspections are undertaken. These are focussed with available resources on locations of highest safety risk, where the consequence of a failure is greatest.

Stratford Station

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the maximum number is of (a) trains and (b) international trains which are able to stop at Stratford International station in each hour.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport does not hold detailed information on the network capability and capacity of the stations on the HS1 network. HS1 Ltd, as the infrastructure manager, is responsible for producing the timetable for the line of route, within the technical and operational capability of the network. HS1 Ltd can be contacted at:HS1 Ltd12th Floor, One Euston Square40 Melton StreetLondonNW1 2FD

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Chesham and Amersham

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications for the High Speed 2 (a) need to sell scheme and (b) exceptional hardship scheme have been received from constituents in Chesham and Amersham constituency; how many of those applications have been completed with the property now in the ownership of the Government or HS2 Ltd; how many of those properties in the ownership of the Government or HS2 Ltd have been (i) sold, (ii) rented and (iii) remain vacant; for how many of those applications that have been accepted the price has not been agreed; how many of those applications are awaiting a decision on whether they will be accepted; how many of those applications have been rejected; and of those rejected how many times each such application has been rejected and for what reasons.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The information requested is in the table below:   Chesham and Amersham constituency(a) Need to Sell (NTS) scheme (b) Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS) Applications received 3449Applications accepted1712Applications rejected831Applications withdrawn16Applications pending a final decision80offers made 1212offers accepted109offers declined/no longer active03Properties acquired69How many of those properties in the ownership of the Government or HS2 Ltd have been: (i) sold0(ii) rented 10 (with 2 under offer)(iii) remain vacant3(a) Need to Sell (NTS) scheme (b) Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS) Total number of unsuccessful applications (of which were reapplications)8 (1)31 (5)*Unsuccessful for reasons including criterion 1 (Property Type)11Unsuccesful for reasons including criterion 2 (Location of property)218Unsuccesful for reasons including criterion 3 (Effort to Sell and impact of blight)323Unsuccesful for reasons including criterion 4 (No prior knowledge)00Unsuccesful for reasons including criterion 5 (NTS-Compelling reason to sell/EHS- Exceptional Hardship)625*of the five rejected reapplications none are from the same applicant.

Railways: Performance Standards

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains were reported as delayed due to winter sunlight since 4 January 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: This Department for Transport does not routinely collect the information requested. However, we understand that on 12 January 2016 around 11 Southeastern trains were delayed by up to 10 minutes for this reason.

Bexleyheath Railway Line: Landslips

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what explanation he has received for the cause of recent landslides on the Bexleyheath rail line; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Network Rail have informed me that heavy and persistent rainfall caused the landslip.

Home Office

Extremism Analysis Unit: Finance

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the annual budget for the Extremism Analysis Unit is.

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the remit of the Extremism Analysis Unit is.

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff are employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in the Extremism Analysis Unit; and at which grade each such member of staff is employed.

Karen Bradley: The Extremism Analysis Unit (EAU) has been established with a remit to analyse extremism in this country, and abroad where it has a direct impact on the UK and/or UK interests. The EAU is a cross-government resource, with government departments able to commission research and analysis.

Air Displays: Shoreham

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider issuing guidance restricting the taking of photos and videos following the Shoreham air show crash.

Mike Penning: We have taken this question to relate specifically to those involved in policing in light of the recent disciplinary action taken against two Police Officers working for Sussex police on probation who attended the scene of the crash in September 2015.There are clear standards of behaviour for those involved in policing. Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers are underpinned by the policing Code of Ethics, developed by the College of Policing and laid before Parliament in July 2014. The Code outlines the expectations of all who are involved in policing and which should be upheld in all circumstances. Forces are responsible for providing guidance to their officers and staff in terms of the appropriate handling of any such incidents including the taking of photos and videos, as well as maintaining discipline within the force according to the Standards of Professional Behaviour for policing. The College of Policing, which was established by the Home Office in October 2012, has published information on its website on the appropriate way to post information online for those working in policing.The Home Office cannot intervene or comment on individual cases, which are a matter for individual forces.Where such incidents take place and the conduct of those involved in policing falls below the expected standards, it is for individual forces to investigate such allegations and instigate disciplinary proceedings where it is appropriate to do so. I understand that Sussex Police pursued disciplinary procedures in this incident.The Home Office is continuing to improve the police discipline system to ensure that the processes and their outcomes are transparent and that police officers are held to account for their actions to ensure full public confidence in the integrity of police.

Visas

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications in which (a) towns, (b) cities and (c) regions for Tier 2 (General) restricted Certificate of Sponsorship have been rejected on the grounds that the job is in an establishment which provides a take-away service in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.For the future, the Government intends that Tier 2 should be restricted to roles where there are genuine skills shortages or which require highly-specialised experts. We asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on how to achieve this, but with sufficient flexibility to include high value roles and key public service workers. The MAC has now submitted its advice and the Government is considering the report carefully.

Internet: Bullying

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that internet service providers and social media organisations co-operate with the police to combat incidents of cyber bullying and harassment.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the Government measures the number of incidents of harassment, threatening and abusive behaviour which occur online.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of existing legislation for tackling incidents of cyber bullying and harassment.

Mike Penning: As part of the arrangements for the collection of police recorded crime data the Home Office has introduced an ‘online flag’ allowing police forces to record online instances of crimes such as stalking and harassment. These data are still being developed but will be published once the data are considered to be of sufficient quality. In October 2015, the Office for National Statistics introduced new fraud and cyber questions to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. These new questions mean that we will be able to identify those crimes that had an online component and hence be able to provide estimates of cyber crime. This data will be published in due course.Legislation is in place to deal with internet trolls, cyber-stalking and harassment, and perpetrators of grossly offensive, obscene or menacing behaviour. Through the Criminal Justice Act 2015, we improved two communications offences which can be used to prosecute misuse of social media: section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, and section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, giving the police longer to investigate either offence, and increasing the maximum penalty for the former to two years imprisonment.Engagement with the industry is essential, and the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities, parenting groups, and government departments (Home Office, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, and Department for Education), to work in partnership to help to keep children and young people safe online. As part of this work, the UK’s Communications regulator, Ofcom, recently led a working group to develop good practice guidance for providers of social media and interactive services. Its purpose is to encourage businesses to think about “safety by design” to help make their platforms safer for children and young people under 18. This guidance was published in December 2015. A wide range of partners contributed to this project, including Twitter, Facebook, Google, Ask.FM, MindCandy and Microsoft.

Licensing Laws

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will increase the licensing enforcement powers available to local authorities to ensure that pubs do not act as clubs without permission.

Karen Bradley: Licensing authorities and the police already have a range of enforcement powers under the Licensing Act 2003. These are sufficient to prevent pubs operating without relevant permissions. These include powers which licensing authorities have to impose conditions on a premises licence or revoke a premises licence where appropriate. They are responsible for making decisions based on what is appropriate for the promotion of the licensing objectives. These are the prevention of crime and disorder; public safety; the prevention of public nuisance; and the protection of children from harm.Licensable activities include not only the sale of alcohol but also regulated entertainment such as a performance of live music and any playing of recorded music among other entertainments. While the rules on regulated entertainment on licensed premises were recently relaxed so that permission is only required for such events when they occur outside the hours of 08.00 and 23.00 or when there are more than 500 people in attendance, an applicant for a premises licence should set out in an operating schedule the licensable activities they intend to hold on the premises.

Drugs: Publicity

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what she has allocated to the Strategic Communications Plan supporting the Psychoactive Substances Bill.

Karen Bradley: A strategic communications plan to make people aware of the intended ban on psychoactive substances has been developed by the Home Office, working closely with partners and agencies such as Public Health England. The comprehensive plan will explain the legislative changes and consequences to sellers, young people and other users and signpost support and advice.A budget has not been allocated for this work. Value for money is being maximised through the use of existing resources, materials developed at no cost in-house and free to use channels, such as press, PR and social media to raise awareness of the ban.

CCTV

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to encourage volunteers to monitor CCTV to help the police service.

Mike Penning: The Government believes that volunteers could play a greater role in policing, which is why a consultation was recently held to give Chief Constables greater flexibility to designate police powers to staff and volunteers, to enable them to support officers more effectively in keeping their communities safe.I am aware that a number of forces use volunteers within their CCTV control rooms already and more are currently recruiting for these roles. However all decisions on the recruitment, size and composition of a police force’s workforce are rightly a local matter for chief officers and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).

Firearms: EU Action

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on reducing the illegal movement and sale of high-powered semi-automatic weapons.

Mike Penning: There is an urgent need to step up efforts to stop guns getting into the hands of criminals and extremists. The Government works closely with other EU Member States and the Commission in taking forward this important work. Discussion on the EU Firearms Directive (which sets tighter controls on owning and trading firearms) which would prohibit the private ownership of high-powered semi automatic weapons, is underway.At the recent G6 meeting, the Home Secretary welcomed the action of her EU counterparts on reducing the illegal movement and sale of high-powered semi-automatic weapons and agreement on improved deactivation standards. She also raised the need for more to be done particularly on the threat from Acoustic Expansion Weapons (AEWs) and trafficking routes.

Asylum: Syria

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the target of 20,000 resettled Syrian refugees is met by the end of this Parliament.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



On 16 December 2015, the Prime Minister informed the House we had met our commitment of resettling 1,000 Syrians before Christmas. By hitting this target we have shown that we are on track to resettle 20,000 during the life of this parliament. The Government is working closely with local authorities, international delivery partners and the voluntary sector, putting in place the plans and structures to deliver this and ensuring the system is scaled up in a way that protects the interests of all concerned.

Vetting

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21066, if she will provide matching data for each other region of the UK.

Mike Penning: Regional information relating to service standards for each year since 2012 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.However, information relating to DBS performance at police force level is held on the Gov.UK website and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbs-performance

Asylum

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to 21399, what steps she has taken related to migrants in France who wish to seek international protection in the UK and not in France.

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to 21399, what assessment she has made of whether the French government is meeting its EU and international obligations in respect of registration of non-EU citizens in France who are in need of international protection.

James Brokenshire: As informed in the response to 21399 the Government continues to work closely with France on a range of migration and security issues and we have no plans to change this constructive approach. The French Government remains committed to meeting its EU and international obligations and the opening of new places in its asylum system for those that claim asylum in Calais demonstrates this. The UK and French Governments are unified in their response to the migratory phenomenon and both governments recognise the importance of close partnership and collaboration to reach a long-term solution.A person requiring international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country that they reach, a principle which is reflected in the Dublin Regulation. Any migrant currently in France who wishes to seek international protection should do so in France. The UK will consider a request from France to take responsibility of an asylum applicant on the basis of the family unity provisions contained in the Dublin Regulation if there are grounds to do so. A person must claim asylum in France before a responsibility request can be made and considered.

Police: Sports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of crowd control guidelines issued to local police forces for large sporting events; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has not made any assessment of crowd control guidelines issued to the police.This is an operational matter for the police and guidance is set out in the Police Authorised Professional Practice on Public Order, which is developed and owned by the College of Policing.

Home Office: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many defibrillators are provided in each building her Department manages.

Karen Bradley: We do not hold records centrally on the number of defibrillators across the HO estate.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what conditions the Government considers need to be met for the UK to divest itself of nuclear weapons through international negotiations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK has a strong record on nuclear disarmament. As The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon) set out in his Written Ministerial Statement of 20 January 2015 (Official Report, column 4WS) the Government has met its commitment to implement the changes announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 to reduce the number of operationally available warheads from fewer than 160 to no more than 120.As set out in the recent 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we consider that our nuclear deterrent is the ultimate means to deter the most extreme threats. The UK will retain a credible, continuous and effective minimum nuclear deterrent for as long as the global security situation makes it necessary.

Netherlands: EU Presidency

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Dutch government ahead of the publication of the Programme of the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Mr David Lidington: Reflecting the strength of the UK-Netherlands relationships, my Ministerial colleagues and I hold regular meetings with our Dutch counterparts to discuss a range of issues, including their current Presidency of the Council of the EU.I discussed their Presidency programme with Foreign Minister Bert Koenders and Defence Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plassechaert during my visit to The Hague in November 2015, alongside a number of shared EU priorities.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: UK Membership of EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contingency arrangements his Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

Mr David Lidington: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the United Kingdom, so we can get a better deal for our country and secure our future. We are confident that the right agreement can be reached.

Falkland Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that his (a) Department will not enter into negotiations with Argentina without the full consent of the Falkland Islands government and (b) Department's position remains to deny any transfer or reduction of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands without the full consent of the Falkland Islanders.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are hopeful for an improvement in bilateral relations with Argentina. Our position on the Falkland Islanders' right to self determination will not change.

Saudi Arabia: Counter-terrorism

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on Saudi Arabia's use of counter-terrorism laws; and whether such laws are being used legitimately to tackle terrorism or to supress political and religious opposition.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have been following Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism and terrorism financing legislation issue closely since it was implemented on 31 January 2014. As we noted in our 2014 Human Rights and Democracy, a number of human rights activists have been sentenced in the Specialised Criminal Court, set up under this legislation for security and terrorism cases. We will continue to monitor this issue carefully.

Saudi Arabia: Political Prisoners

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Saudi Arabian authorities on the cases of (a) Raif Badaw, (b) Waleed Abu al-Khair and (c) Ashraf Fayadh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of, and concerned by, the cases of Raif Badawi, Waleed Abu al-Khair, and Ashraf Fayadh. We have raised the cases of Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair with the Saudi Arabian authorities and we continue to use suitable opportunities to raise our concerns over all these cases. We do not expect Mr Badawi to receive the lashes he has been sentenced to receive. We strongly support freedom of expression in every country and regularly make the Saudi Arabian authorities aware of our views.

Government Departments: Foreign Relations

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the (a) title and (b) date is of each memorandum of understanding signed by a Government department with another country since 2010.

James Duddridge: I refer to the answer I gave on 11 January to Question 20196. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

North Korea: Sanctions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sanctions measures imposed on North Korea in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UN and EU sanctions measures on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have increased the cost and difficulty to the DPRK of its efforts to fund, supply and develop their nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.However, these sanctions regimes would be strengthened by more rigorous implementation by all UN Member States. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) said following the nuclear test conducted by the DPRK on the 6 January, we are working with other UN Security Council members to ensure the international community responds robustly, including immediate work on further significant measures in a new UN Security Council Resolution.

Kurds: Political Prisoners

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed with his Kurdish counterparts the detention of Esa Barzani and other critics in Kurdistan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: While we have not made representations on this particular case, during recent visits to Iraq, The Rt Honourable Baroness Anelay of St Johns and I discussed the human rights situation with ministers and senior officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government as well as civil society representatives. Officials at the British Consulate General in Erbil regularly raise human rights concerns with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Iraq: Kurds

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Kurdistan counterpart on the current status of the parliament of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament has been in recess since 12 October 2015 following an escalation in tensions between Kurdish parties over the extension of the term of Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani. This situation has now de-escalated slightly and negotiations over the extension are ongoing. During my visit to Erbil in December, I made clear to all those I met the importance of the parties working together to resolve this issue peacefully, in the spirit of compromise and respecting democratic principles.

Iraq: Kurds

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on whether the speaker of the parliament of the Kurdistan region of Iraq is being impeded in fulfilling his role.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: On 12 October 2015, during a period of heightened tensions between Kurdish parties over the extension of the Kurdistan Regional Government President’s term, we understand that the Speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament was denied access to Erbil. Our Ambassador in Baghdad and Consul General in Erbil have raised this issue with senior members of the Kurdistan Regional Government and underlined the importance of all parties working together to resolve this issue peacefully, in the spirit of compromise and respecting democratic principles.

Winter Sports: Insurance

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued for holidaymakers to advise them to take out appropriate winter sports insurance cover.

James Duddridge: For details of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s communications work on travel insurance in general I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 12 January 2016 to Parliamentary Question 21029.An important part of this work is underlining to British nationals intending to travel overseas the need to take out insurance that is right for their trip, including for any winter or extreme sports activities. We produce specific guidance for travellers on winter sports holidays and we are currently running a ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign focusing on this issue, working in partnership with the Association of British Travel Agents and British four-time Winter Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott. The headline message of the campaign is for those taking a winter sports holiday to take out appropriate travel insurance. More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/winter-sports-stay-safe-on-the-slopes and https://www.gov.uk/government/news/winter-sports-a-third-left-on-thin-ice-without-appropriate-insurance.

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Taliban

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Afghan and (b) Pakistani government on reducing the influence of the Taliban in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) held a trilateral meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in December 2015, where they discussed reducing the influence of the Taleban on Afghanistan. The Prime Minister also spoke to President Ghani and Prime Minister Sharif individually on the topic. Both President Ghani and Prime Minister Sharif reiterated their commitment to an Afghan owned and led peace process as the only route to a stable and secure Afghanistan.In September, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met with the Afghan Chief Executive Officer Dr Abdullah Abdullah and discussed the situation in Afghanistan. Since August 2015, the Foreign Secretary has spoken with a number of senior Pakistani figures including: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar; former National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz; and Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif.I discussed the Taleban influence in Afghanistan and Pakistan with a number of senior interlocutors, including President Ghani, during my visit to Pakistan in September 2015 and my visit to Afghanistan in December 2015.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the UN and other agencies on (a) encouraging the establishment of an international, independent and impartial mechanism to investigate allegations of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Yemen and (b) applying pressure on parties to the conflict in Yemen to end the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The consensual Resolution on Yemen adopted at the Human Rights Council Session in September 2015 expressed concern about the human rights situation and committed the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights to work with the Government of Yemen to help them investigate human rights abuses and violations. We have urged the Government of Yemen to co-operate fully with this process. We are in regular contact with the Government of Yemen and the UN, including to raise our concerns regarding the impact the conflict is having on the lives of ordinary Yemenis. Yemen will remain on the Human Rights Council’s agenda: an oral report on developments will be given at the next session in March 2016 (31st session) and a written report will be presented to the Council in September 2016 (33rd session).The UK has regularly raised with the Saudi Arabian Government, the need to comply with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen and we continue to engage with them on this. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL. A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen. The UK welcomes the UN facilitated talks and continue to urge parties to engage in a new round of talks. This will help create the conditions for the legitimate Government to protect human rights and ensure respect for IHL, including as through the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received any reports of any potential breaches of international humanitarian law from UK personnel working with the Saudi military.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



We are aware of reports on alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen by the Saudi Arabians and take these very seriously. The UK is not a partner to the Coalition and British military personnel are not directly involved in Coalition operations. The Ministry of Defence closely follows alleged IHL violations, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. We are also offering advice and training to Saudi Arabia to demonstrate investigations best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with IHL.

Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Saudi Arabia about the death sentence of Abdullah al-Zaher.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



The British Government is very concerned about the case of Abdullah al-Zaher. The British Government has regularly raised this case, as well as the cases of the other two minors arrested with him, with the Saudi Arabian authorities at a senior level. We will continue to follow these cases closely and raise our concerns. The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, especially in cases which do not meet the minimum standards defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This includes the execution of a minor and the use of the death penalty for a crime which isn’t deemed “the most serious”.

Syria

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish the next quarterly progress report to the House on Syria.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



I updated the House on 16 December 2015. The next progress report on Syria will be made by my Right Hon Friend, member for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields, the Development Secretary, Ms Justine Greening following the 4 February Syria Conference in London.

Armed Conflict

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN and the International Criminal Court to ensure they take action in cases in which civilian populations are besieged and deprived of food and medicines as a method of waging war.

James Duddridge: The United Kingdom has co-sponsored resolutions at the United Nations Security Council that call for an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including illegal siege tactics and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid. The International Criminal Court can take action when a war crime or crime against humanity is suspected to have been committed in or by a country which is party to the Rome Statute, or when a situation is referred to them by the UN Security Council. The starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited in international and internal conflicts. We will continue to work with our international partners to look at every available option to ensure all State and non-state actors engaged in armed conflict respect International Humanitarian Law and act in accordance with their obligations there under.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) number and (b) quality of Overseas Territories' adoptions of public registers of beneficial ownership since his meetings with them on 15 June 2013 and his letter to them on 24 April 2014.

James Duddridge: The Government is in discussion with the Governments of the Overseas Territories on their plans to improve company transparency. The Territories have agreed to hold beneficial ownership information in central registers or similarly effective systems. Such systems will need to meet the following criteria: a) UK law enforcement and tax authorities must be able to access company beneficial ownership information without restriction, subject to relevant safeguards; b) These competent authorities should be able to quickly identify all companies that a particular beneficial owner has a stake in without needing to submit multiple and repeated requests; and c) Companies or their beneficial owners must not be alerted to the fact that an investigation is underway.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will (a) take steps to ensure that Saudi Arabia works for an immediate ceasefire in Yemen and (b) support the establishment of an international, independent, impartial mechanism to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law by all parties in that conflict.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are urging all parties to the conflict to work towards resuming a meaningful and sustainable ceasefire that is respected by all sides. We are also doing all we can to support the UN to convene a further round of UN-facilitated peace talks over the coming weeks and firmly believe that a political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen.The Resolution on Yemen adopted at the Human Rights Council Session in September 2015 committed the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights to work with the Government of Yemen to help them investigate human rights abuses and violations. We urge the Government of Yemen to co-operate fully with this process. Yemen will remain on the Human Rights Council’s agenda: an oral report on developments will be given at the next session in March 2016 (31st session) and a written report will be presented to the Council in September 2016 (33rd session).

Yemen: Human Rights

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that UK-made arms are not being used to commit human rights abuses in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen. We continue to raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law with all sides to the conflict.The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent export control regimes in the world. All exports of arms and controlled military goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. Risks around human rights violations are a key part of our assessment against the Consolidated Criteria. A licence will not be issued, for any country, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria.

Central African Republic: Elections

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the conduct of the first round of the general elections in the Central African Republic.

James Duddridge: I welcome the holding of presidential and legislative elections in the Central African Republic on 30 December. The people of the Central African Republic showed a strong determination to move towards a democratic future by turning out to vote in large numbers. The holding of elections, which passed off peacefully, is a huge achievement. It was however unacceptable that many refugees, largely from Muslim communities, were unable to vote in the elections.We will work with international partners and the newly elected President to ensure that an inclusive government is appointed which is representative of Central African Republic groups, regions and refugees.

Islamic State: Kurds

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the Kurdish Peshmerga in their efforts against Daesh.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



As part of our wider support to the Government of Iraq and in close cooperation with the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, we are providing substantial assistance to the Kurdish Peshmerga. In addition to the air support being provided by the RAF, the UK military training team in northern Iraq we have trained over 2,700 Peshmerga fighters in infantry fighting skills, weapons handling and C-IED procedures. We have also gifted weapons and ammunition, including 40 heavy machine guns, non-lethal equipment and airlifted support provided by other Coalition partners.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what planning for post-conflict stabilisation and reconstruction in Syria the Government has undertaken.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



The UK has factored the need for post-conflict stabilisation and reconstruction into our planning from the beginning of the crisis and committed £1bn towards this. We are now working with international partners to coordinate stabilisation efforts as they develop, and to update our post-conflict planning to reflect the timeline envisaged in the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) process. We are ensuring that an internationally coordinated stabilisation mechanism is ready for a scenario in which transition has taken place, when delivery of stabilisation efforts to support political transition will be necessary. This all rests on an inclusive political settlement, which is why the UK is pushing hard for the ISSG to deliver transition leading to a ceasefire and an inclusive government which represents all Syrians. The Syria Conference in February provides an important opportunity to advance stabilisation and reconstruction planning.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent bilateral discussions he has had with members of the International Syria Support Group on achieving a ceasefire in Syria.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



Since the last meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) on 18 December in New York I have spoken personally to my French, US, Saudi Arabian, Turkish, Chinese and German counterparts about our common goal of achieving an end to the Syrian crisis. British officials continue to engage with their counterparts from the full range of ISSG countries and organisations over Syria. Next month we are co-hosting an international conference in London to address the appalling situation in Syria and the impact on neighbouring countries. This event will provide a further opportunity to engage with ISSG counterparts.

Islamic State: Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of what the primary sources of finance for Daesh are; and what steps the Government is taking to disrupt those sources.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



Daesh has two main sources of funding. About 40% comes from extorting communities living in territory it controls; and around 40% from selling oil. It also gets a small amount of funding from selling looted antiquities and donations from individuals in the region and around the world.Tackling Daesh financing is a key element of our comprehensive strategy. This involves military action, enforcement of sanctions and engagement with international partners.The RAF carried out 15% of the airstrikes in the Global Coalition’s recent offensive targeting Daesh oil facilities. Since this offensive began, the Coalition has destroyed 25% of the Daesh daily oil production capability, which equates to approximately 10% of their total income.The UK has led efforts to create and enforce an international legal regime to cut off support for Daesh, including UN and EU sanctions against Daesh. This regime is underpinned by UN Security Council Resolutions 2178, 2199, 1267 and 2253. We are expanding existing work with regional partners to ensure implementation of these sanctions and hamper Daesh’s ability to trade outside the formal financial system, and to stop smuggling.

Syria: Military Intervention

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his Answer of 18 December 2015 to Question 19717, which were the 28 communities in Syria supported by the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Conflict Stability And Security Fund is supporting communities in opposition held areas located in the north west and south west of Syria. A specific list of these communities is not published for reasons of security (it could put civilians in those areas at risk). More information on the work being taken forward can be found at http://www.project-tamkeen.org/category/news-from-the-programme/

Mauritania: Capital Punishment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Mauritanian government of the death sentence imposed for apostasy on Mohamed Mkhaitir in that country.

Mr Philip Hammond: The UK’s Head of Mission participated in an EU Heads of Mission meeting with the Mauritanian Prime Minister in December, which the Minister of Justice also attended.Mr Mkhaitir’s case was specifically raised by the delegation, who were assured by the Minister of Justice that his case was under appeal and that Mauritania continues to hold a moratorium on the death penalty.

Mauritania: Slavery

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the evidence his Department holds or is otherwise aware of on the existence of slavery in Mauritania.

Mr Philip Hammond: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials regularly raise slavery with the Mauritanian government in the UK and in Mauritania, most recently in December. Officials also work closely with NGOs and other organisations to understand slavery and its scale in Mauritania. We made a recommendation in Mauritania’s Universal Periodic Review in November that the government begin the collection of data on the number of people held in slavery to facilitate the monitoring of eradication efforts under the 2007 anti-slavery law.

Mauritania: Human Rights

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Mauritania on the imprisonment of Biram Dah Abeid in that country.

Mr Philip Hammond: Mr Abeid’s case was most recently raised at an EU Heads of Mission meeting with the Mauritanian Prime Minister in December. We continue to monitor Mr Abeid’s case, and an FCO official visited Mr Abeid in Aleg prison in September.

Syria: International Assistance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether there will be discussion of long-term support for the countries bordering Syria at the Syria Donors Conference 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We and our co-hosts (Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations) are inviting leaders from countries around the world, NGOs and civil society to come together next month to raise significant new funding to meet the needs of all those affected by the Syria crisis within the country itself and by supporting neighbouring countries. The conference will identify long term funding solutions for Syria and the region, covering 2016 and subsequent years. It will address the longer term needs of all those affected by the crisis, inside and outside Syria, by identifying ways to create jobs and provide education, offering all those that have been forced to flee their homes greater hope for the future. The conference will also pave the way for a broader discussion about how the international community responds to protracted crises, in advance of the UK, UN and World Bank High-Level Forum on Forced Displacement in Protracted Crises later in 2016 and the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May.

Israel: Palestinians

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Palestinian Authority on recent comments related to  the practice of honouring terrorists by Rami Hamdallah.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We condemn the glorification of terrorism and all incitement to commit violence, whichever side it comes from. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, urging them to use their influence to de-escalate the tensions. We regularly raise incitement with the Palestinian Authority, and have urged key figures to encourage calm and condemn violence. We continue to support the reinstatement of the Tripartite Committee as the appropriate channel to deal with allegations of incitement from either side.

Colombia: Prisoners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with his Colombian counterpart (a) the deteriorating health of many former combatant prisoners, (b) the reported human rights violations of prisoners, (c) the reported arbitrary transfers of prisoners and (d) the reported isolation of prisoners in that country which have taken place since its government's pledges of November 2015 made following the prisoners' hunger strike there.

Mr Hugo Swire: I am aware of the hunger strike by members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) across 13 prisons in November over prison conditions, and recent Colombian media reports on the same issue.I understand the Colombian government and the FARC are currently discussing end of conflict issues, which include prisoner rights. It would not be appropriate for the United Kingdom to interfere in matters under negotiation, not least as we near the 23 March deadline for talks to conclude.The hon. Member will recall that our Embassy in Bogotá has closely followed the cases of specific Colombian prisoners, such as David Ravelo and Húber Ballesteros, discussing concerns with the Presidential advisor for human rights and the prisons authority.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21764, whether the government of Saudi Arabia (a) responded formally, (b) responded informally or (c) did not respond when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and the UK Ambassador raised the UK's concerns about the recent mass executions; on what date the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and the Ambassador raised those concerns; and whether the exchange referred to in that Answer took place by telephone, in person, or in writing.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have raised our objections to executions, and the use of the death penalty on numerous occasions since 2 January, both in person and over the phone. I most recently raised the issue with the Government of Saudi Arabia on 12 January over the phone and in person on 14 January. The Saudi Government is aware of our position.

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Yorkshire and the Humber

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the change in the proportion of the working age population employed by the public sector in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber since 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



Excel Sheet - Working Age Population
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.63 KB)




UKSA Letter to Member - Working Age Population
(PDF Document, 67.87 KB)

Lord Barker of Battle

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what advice his Department issued to Baron Barker of Battle about his appointment to the British Photovoltaic Association.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) government ministers and (b) civil servants have failed to apply to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments before their appointment to posts outside Government in the last three years.

Matthew Hancock: Former Ministers and former civil servants are subject to rules that cover the acceptance of all outside appointments and employment after they leave public office. Information about which former Ministers and former civil servants have failed to consult ACoBA before taking up an appointment is not held. It is individuals’ own responsibility to ensure that they comply with the requirements of these rules.

Cabinet Office: Public Expenditure

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason Cabinet Office spend over £25,000 has not been updated beyond December 2014.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 17 December 2015 to UIN: 20015.

Foreign Companies: Property

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to launch its planned consultation on increasing the transparency of property ownership by foreign companies.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tax Yields

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that government procurement helps to increase tax receipts.

Matthew Hancock: Procurement Policy Note 03/14 sets out the scope, background and detailed guidance for the policy of using the procurement process to promote tax compliance:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0314-promoting-tax-compliance

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Minimum Wage

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing penalties levied on employers who do not pay staff at least the national minimum wage.

Nick Boles: From April 2016, we are increasing the calculation of penalties from 100% to 200% of the arrears owed. The penalty is reduced by half if employers pay within 14 days.By increasing the penalties for underpayment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) we intend to deter employers from breaking the law so that working people receive the money they are legally due.This new calculation ensures a tougher penalty for employers found to have underpaid the NMW.The fast track Impact Assessment for increasing the penalties has been validated by the Regulatory Policy Committee and published here - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2015/324

Overseas Trade: USA

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on UK businesses of the Berry Amendment to US legislation on contract policy.

Anna Soubry: The Government has not carried out any specific assessment of the effect of this amendment on UK businesses to date.The Berry Amendment is a US Domestic Source Restriction established in the US Code that requires the Federal Government to procure textiles for any defence purpose from US suppliers, unless there is no domestic supplier available. It is possible, occasionally, for UK companies to benefit from partial exemptions to the Berry Amendment.The trade team within the British Defence Staff in Washington DC can advise UK companies, on a case by case basis, on which opportunities may be considered as an exemption.

Green Investment Bank

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 14108, which projects are part of the Green Investment Bank's forward business plan; what the (a) stage of completion and (b) amount of funding given is for each of those projects; and what guarantees are in place to ensure that these schemes are completed by any new owners of the Green Investment Bank.

Anna Soubry: Potential investment opportunities identified in the forward business plan of UK Green Investment Bank (GIB), and the company’s estimates of what level of financing it might commit to these, are commercially sensitive matters and are not made public. Potential investors in GIB will be invited to consider the company’s business plan in accordance with appropriate confidentiality agreements.Irrespective of whether GIB remains in Government ownership or is moved into the private sector, there is no way to guarantee that any of the projects identified in GIB’s business plan will in fact proceed nor any certainty that GIB will be involved in their financing if they do - they remain only potential investment opportunities.Details of the commitments GIB has entered into to date can be found on the company’s website at: http://www.greeninvestmentbank.com/our-investments/.

Insolvency Service: Kingston upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the total annual saving to the public purse has been of the closure of the Hull office of the Insolvency Service.

Anna Soubry: The decision to close the Hull office, with effect from 14 November 2014, was based on savings with a Net Present Value of £289,000 over 5 years. The profile of savings is such that they will mainly be realised towards the end of that period. Current information is that we are on course to achieve these savings.

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 14108, if he will place in the Library a copy of the preliminary feedback on his announcement of the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

Anna Soubry: The preliminary feedback to which my earlier answer refers is the outcome of private informal conversations that the Green Investment Bank (GIB) and our financial advisers have had with a number of potential investors on an in‑confidence basis to help gauge market appetite for acquiring a stake in GIB. The substance of these conversations is commercially sensitive and not for publication. The Government does, though, intend to report to Parliament setting out our detailed plans for a sale and to provide a further report following completion of a transaction and any subsequent transactions.

Department for International Development

Yemen: Children

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding and other support her Department has given for UN agencies, non-governmental agencies and civil society to (a) identify children at risk of human rights violations in Yemen, (b) support the development and implementation of programmes to secure the release and rehabilitation of children associated with armed groups and (c) respond to other violations of children's rights in that country.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has more than doubled its humanitarian commitment to Yemen over the last year to £75 million for 2015/16. This includes funding for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Save The Children to raise awareness of child rights, monitor and support displaced children, and provide food, nutrition, water and sanitation to children.The UK continues to raise the importance of compliance with international law with all parties to the conflict, including urging against the recruitment and use of child soldiers. We are also supporting the UN’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire and end to the conflict.

Yemen: Children

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the access of (a) all children in Yemen and (b) children displaced by the conflict in that country to high-quality education.

Mr Desmond Swayne: UK humanitarian aid to Yemen is currently focused on urgent life-saving needs, in particular food, nutrition, health, water and sanitation. However, DFID has also supported education in Yemen through the Social Fund for Development (SFD). Since 2010, more than 240,000 children have attended schools supported by SFD. DFID support to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to rehabilitate two schools is also helping 3,500 refugee and Yemeni children to resume education.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken with the UN and others to establish a regular, scheduled UN-facilitated cargo flight service into Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has provided £1 million to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to establish a regular flight between Djibouti and Sana’a for the exclusive use of the humanitarian community. UNHAS has provided 88 flights since the crisis began, carrying 2,129 passengers and 8.6 metric tons of essential medical supplies. 14 UN agencies and 28 NGOs are now using the service. We are also working with UNHAS to establish other regular flight services to Yemen.

Syria: International Assistance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which countries were invited to the Syria Donors Conference; and which of those countries she expects to attend.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Prime Minister is co-hosting the conference on “Supporting Syria and the Region (London 2016)” along with the Amir of Kuwait, the Federal German Chancellor, the Prime Minister of Norway and the United Nations Secretary-General.Over 70 countries have been invited to the conference to raise significant new humanitarian and development funding, and address the longer-term needs of those affected by the Syria crisis. This includes current and potential donors as well as countries hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees, Representatives from Non-Government Organisations and the private sector. We are still receiving responses but expect strong attendance at the highest levels.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how aid disbursed by her Department's Palestinian Programme tackles anti-Israeli incitement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK deplores incitement on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We monitor any allegations of incitement closely and raise instances with both the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel. Our financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority is governed by a Memorandum of Understanding which reaffirms the PA’s commitment to non-violence and a negotiated solution to the conflict. We accompany our support for UNRWA with stringent attention to their neutrality and values of peace. UNRWA continues to implement a human rights, conflict resolution and tolerance policy, which applies to all its schools in its five fields of operation, supplementing the host country curriculums. We take allegations of incitement very seriously and raise them with UNRWA whenever appropriate.

Syria: Refugees

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps UK is taking to support the education of Syrian refugees in (a) Lebanon, (b) Jordan, (c) Iraq and (d) Turkey.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI) is an umbrella initiative that aims to prevent a whole generation being lost to the Syria conflict through long term negative impacts on psychological wellbeing and lack of access to quality education. My Right Honourable Friend The Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, launched the initiative in 2013, working with other donors, UN agencies, NGOs and governments in the region.To date, the UK’s total allocation for NLGI across the region is £115 million. As of August 2015, this allocation has provided over 250,000 children with education and over 673,000 children with psychosocial support. The UK will continue to lead international efforts to support the education of Syrian refugees and we are working with host governments in the region, key education partners such as UNICEF and other donors, to develop ambitious targets on education for the Syria London Conference on 04 February to ensure Syrian children in the region have access to quality education and the necessary psychosocial support they need.

Department for Education

Education: Assessments

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) GCSE, (b) AS and (c) A-level exam results have been appealed against in each of the last five years.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) GCSE, (b) AS and (c) A-level exam results have (i) increased, (ii) decreased and (iii) stayed the same following an appeal in each of the last five years.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure that exams are marked accurately on the first occasion.

Nick Gibb: These are matters for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her replies will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Dyslexia

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make representations to exam boards to remove the five per cent marking for spelling and grammar for dyslexic students.

Nick Gibb: In 2013 the Government restored the policy of marks for spelling, punctuation and use of grammar (SPaG)to GCSE exams as a key part of our commitment to high standards and to ensuring that GCSEs match expectations set in the highest performing jurisdictions internationally. It gives a real incentive to teachers to provide effective support to all their students to improve their written communication skills.For those pupils with special educational needs, including those with dyslexia, appropriate reasonable adjustments, including extra time, are available, as necessary. Details can be found in the Joint Council for Qualifications’ “Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration” at: http://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance

Schools: Admissions

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that decisions of the Independent Appeals Panel do not allocate places in excess of a school's planned admission numbers.

Nick Gibb: All parents are able to express preferences for at least three schools when applying for a school place. When parents are refused a place for their child, it is important that they are given the opportunity to appeal this decision.The appeal panel should consider whether the school’s admission arrangements were lawful, have been properly applied and balance the effect on the school of admitting another child against the parents’ reasons for wanting their child to attend the school.When considering an appeal for an infant class, however, appeal panels have less scope to admit over its admissions number. Legislation limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher and appeals for such classes can only be upheld in very limited circumstances.

Teachers

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of (a) morale in the teaching profession, (b) long-term prospects for teacher recruitment and retention and (c) the potential effect of increases in pupil numbers on (i) morale and (ii) recruitment and retention in that profession.

Nick Gibb: Teaching continues to be a popular career choice. The Government is working with the profession to raise the status of teaching and is attracting the brightest and best to a career in the classroom, with the result that record numbers of highly-qualified graduates and experienced career changes are now teaching in schools.On retention, latest statistics (School Workforce Census, November 2014) show that teacher retention one year after qualifying has remained stable, at around 90 per cent, for the past two decades. In addition, 72 per cent of those who qualified in 2009 were still in teaching five years later and the long-term retention rate is also stable, with over 60 per cent of teachers remaining in the classroom 10 years after qualifying.The Department for Education is continually working to grow a strong pipeline of teachers and has developed a package of measures to support both the recruitment of new trainees (who account for around a half of all new entrants to the state-funded sector each year) and the retention of existing teachers.Latest figures show there are a record number of teachers, with a record number coming back to the profession. The Initial Teacher Training census, published in November 2015, shows that three per cent more people started postgraduate teacher training than in the previous year. We recognise, however, that as the economy improves and the labour market strengthens, teacher recruitment is becoming increasingly challenging for some schools – particularly in some areas of the country and in some shortage subjects. That is why we are offering a range of bursaries and scholarships worth up to £30,000 tax-free to trainees in 2016/17. In addition, we are launching the National Teacher Service, as well as expanding the Teach First and School Direct programmes which will mean more great teachers in every corner of the country.In terms of the long term recruitment of teachers, we use the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate Initial Teacher Training place requirements in England each year to meet the state-funded sector demand for qualified teachers. Forecasts are related to a range of factors including year-on-year pupil population growth rates, teacher leaving rates, and curriculum changes.The 2016/17 version of the TSM, which was used to inform the 2016/17 ITT recruitment process, along with a user guide explaining the methodology in detail, is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model

Science: Teachers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase retention levels of science teachers in funded secondary schools; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Teacher retention rates have remained stable for over a decade. The Department does not hold data at subject level on retention rates, but approximately 90 per cent of all teachers are still in service in the year after they qualify, and 72 per cent of those who qualified in 2009 were still in teaching five years later. Over the longer term, over 60 per cent of teachers remain in service 10 years after qualifying.It is vital for schools to be able to retain good teachers. That is why we have made significant policy interventions in the areas that teachers tell us matter most, such as improving pupil behaviour and reducing unnecessary workload. We have appointed behaviour expert Tom Bennett to lead a review to ensure new teachers are fully trained in dealing with disruptive children and to consider all of the challenges of managing behaviour in schools.We have established three groups to address the biggest concerns that teachers raised in the workload challenge: marking, planning and data management. The groups will create principles for practice and make specific recommendations for action. All three groups are due to report to Ministers in 2016 and we are commissioning a biennial survey to track teacher workload, starting in the spring of 2016.In 2015, the Prime Minister announced a £67m package that will help us to recruit an additional 2,500 mathematics and physics teachers and to improve the knowledge and skills of 15,000 existing teachers in those subjects.

Education: Equality

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusions of the Social Market Foundation report, published in January 2016, Educational Inequalities in England and Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government is determined to deliver educational excellence everywhere so that every child, regardless of background, reaches their potential. Thanks to the hard work of teachers across the country and our ambitious programme of reforms, 1.4 million more pupils are in good or outstanding schools compared to 2010.We believe that there is more that can be done. That is why we are introducing new measures to transform failing and coasting schools, funding the best academy chains to share excellence in the North and creating a National Teaching Service. This will send some of our best teachers to the areas that need them most, starting in the North West.We have also protected the pupil premium at current rates for the duration of this Parliament, so that schools receive additional money for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. A review of funding for disadvantaged pupils by the National Audit Office in July 2015 found that the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has narrowed in both primary and secondary schools since the introduction of the pupil premium in 2011.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the amount of funding for each (a) primary age and (b) secondary age pupil in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber in (i) 2016-17, (ii) 2017-18 and (iii) 2018-19.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have announced the per pupil funding rates for 2016-17. They can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-2017Per pupil funding rates for the specified areas in 2016-17 are as follows:Area2015-16 schools block unit of funding2016-17 schools block unit of fundingBarnsley LA£4,460£4,474Sheffield LA£4,422£4,449Rotherham LA£4,837£4,837Doncaster LA£4,511£4,530Yorkshire and Humber region (average schools block unit of funding)£4,552£4,568We protected the schools budget in the last Parliament and we have met our manifesto commitment to protect the core schools budget throughout this Parliament. This means that as pupil numbers rise, so will the amount of money available for our schools. The Government is committed to going even further to make school funding fairer. At the Spending Review we announced our intention to introduce a national funding formula, so that the money we provide for schools is fairly matched to need. As we develop our plans, we will consider the effect of the formula on all schools and make sure change is introduced at a pace that is manageable for the sector. We will set out our detailed proposals and consult extensively later this year.

Extracurricular Activities

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many responses her Department has received (a) through its online response form and (b) by email to its Out-of-school education settings: registration and inspection consultation.

Nick Gibb: The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment without exposure to hateful and extremist views that undermine British values. The call for evidence on out-of-school education settings was launched on 26 November 2015 and ran for six and a half weeks closing on 11 January 2016.Around 3,000 people completed the published response form, either online or manually. The Department for Education received a significant number of further representations to the consultation by email and post. All responses and representations are being logged, analysed and verified.In line with Cabinet Office guidance, we will be publishing a response to the consultation in due course.

Teachers: Training

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the target was for new entrants on to Religious Education initial teacher training courses in each of the last five years.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new entrants there were for religious education initial teacher training courses in each of the last five years.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people achieved qualified teacher status in religious studies in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The numbers of new entrants to religious education initial teacher training (ITT) courses in England, and the target levels, for each of the last five years are as shown in Table 1 below.The numbers of people achieving qualified teacher status (QTS) in religious studies in each of the last five years are as shown in Table 2 below.Table 1: New entrants to Religious Education ITT courses.YearPostgraduate ITT new entrantsPostgraduate ITT targetPercentage of the postgraduate target achievedUndergraduate ITT new entrants2011/12463446104%152012/13471439107%122013/1436745082%122014/1538653772%82015/1641165063%14Table 2: Final year religious education trainees obtaining QTS awards.YearPostgraduateUndergraduateNumber awarded QTSNumber not awarded QTSTotalPercentage awarded QTSNumber awarded QTSNumber not awarded QTSTotalPercentage awarded QTS2009/107559685189%1221486%2010/117627884091%1922190%2011/124647153587%1772471%2012/134196548487%2553083%2013/143212334493%12012100%Further information is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-teacher-training

Educational Visits

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure schools in deprived areas have adequate money in their budgets to take children on school trips connected to the curriculum.

Mr Sam Gyimah: At the last Spending Review, the Chancellor announced that the Government would meet its manifesto commitment to protect the core schools budget throughout this Parliament. We have also protected the pupil premium at its current rates, worth £2.5 billion annually. Additionally, all local authorities must include a deprivation factor in their local funding formulae, through which they distribute funding to schools in their locality. It is for individual schools to decide how best to use their funding to raise the attainment of pupils, including those from deprived backgrounds, which can include visits in support of the curriculum.

Ministry of Justice

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of employment tribunal fees on the ability of individuals to bring forward discrimination claims.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Following public consultation, the government introduced fees in Employment Tribunals as a way of reducing the burden on the taxpayer and to encourage parties to seek alternative ways of resolving their disputes.In June of last year we announced the start of the post-implementation review of the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals. This review will consider, so far as is possible, the impact the fees have had on those with protected characteristics and the types of case they bring.The review will report in due course.

Prisons: Drugs

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many deaths in prison were caused by the use of legal highs in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: Every death in custody is a tragedy and we are committed to reducing the number of deaths in prisons.Summary statistics on deaths in prison custody by apparent cause are published quarterly, and the latest annual figures, for the ten years to September 2015, can be found in Table 2 of the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472712/Safety-in-custody-summary-q2-2015.xls Figures on the number of deaths caused by the use of “legal highs”, or new psychoactive substances, are not held centrally. All deaths in prison custody are subject to a coroner’s inquest, and it is the responsibility of the coroner to determine the cause of death. The NOMS system for classifying deaths provides a provisional classification for administrative and statistical purposes. The final classifications are determined at inquest.

Medway Secure Training Centre

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will launch an independent investigation of the circumstances of the abuse that has been reported at Medway Secure Training Centre.

Andrew Selous: Kent Police and Medway Council’s child protection team have launched a joint independent investigation into the allegations made about Medway Secure Training Centre (STC) and it would be inappropriate to commission another investigation while this is underway. HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Ofsted – both independent inspectorates – also visited the STC last week. Any further action will be announced in the usual way.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date he last met insurance company representatives to discuss issues relating to personal injury claims; who was present at that meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: On 8 December, following the Chancellor’s announcement of further whiplash reforms in his Autumn Statement on 25 November, Lord Faulks and two ministerial colleagues, Oliver Letwin and Harriett Baldwin, met a representative group of senior figures from the insurance industry, including the Association of British Insurers. The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss passing savings arising from the reforms to motorists by way of reduced premiums.We will continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders including other government departments, solicitors and insurers in taking forward the new reform package. The Government will consult on the detail of these measures in due course.

Prisons: Civil Disorder

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many members of (a) the National Tactical Response Group and (b) Tornado Teams have been injured during a callout in each of the last three years.

Andrew Selous: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Medway Secure Training Centre: Teachers

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12035, what teaching agency G4S contacted; and what level of security clearance that member of staff was required to hold in order to enter the facility concerned.

Andrew Selous: The recruitment agency contacted by G4S was Randstad. The member of staff went through full G4S vetting and clearance before being employed on site. All STC staff, both temporary and permanent, must also undergo background checks and be reviewed and approved by the Youth Justice Board prior to appointment.

Medway Secure Training Centre

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Ministers in his Department have visited G4S Medway in the last five years.

Andrew Selous: In the last five years, available records show that three Ministers have visited Medway Secure Training Centre.

Ministry of Justice: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

Mike Penning: The information requested is not held centrally.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the level of violence in prisons.

Andrew Selous: Our prison system needs reform. There is much more to do to ensure prisons are places of decency, hope and rehabilitation.Violence in prisons has increased in recent years. The nature of offenders currently in custody and the widespread availability of novel psychoactive substances have both contributed to making prisons less safe. There is no single, simple solution to the problems we face but we are making progress.We have launched a two year Violence Reduction project to reduce violent incidents and the propensity of violence in prisons. This project will help us to gain a better understanding of the causes and characteristics of violence in prisons and to strengthen the handling of this. We are also trialling the use of body worn cameras in prisons, developing better case management of individuals identified as being at heightened risk of harming others, introducing a psychologically based assessment tool to understand better local factors driving violence in prisons, and training sniffer dogs to detect novel psychoactive substances. We have also made it an offence to smuggle novel psychoactive substances into prison. However, ultimately the only way to reduce violence in our prisons is to give governors and those who work in prisons the tools necessary to more effectively reform and rehabilitate offenders, which we are determined to see through.

Church Commissioners

Church Commissioners: Land

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent progress has been made on (a) residential development and (b) infrastructure planning on Church Commissioner land allocated as an urban extension by Peterborough City Council at (i) Paston Reserve and (ii) Norwood; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Caroline Spelman: There are no further developments to report since the answer given by the Church Commissioners to question 16388 on the 20 November 2015.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Playing Fields

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, after how long it is his policy to take action when a local planning authority has not produced a playing pitch strategy; and what powers his Department has to taken such action after that period.

Tracey Crouch: Sport England, which helps local authorities develop and implement Playing Pitch Strategies to protect existing playing fields as well as meet future demand, recommends that the strategy should be updated every three years. In its role as statutory consultee, Sport England also monitors the number of planning applications that have an impact on playing fields and objects where it believes local sports provision could be harmed. As set out in our sports strategy, published last month, this Government is committed to improving the quality of community sports facilities.

Welsh Language

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to improve access to Welsh subtitling for learners and people with accessibility needs.

Mr Edward Vaizey: According to the Television Access Services report of October 2015, S4C provides subtitles on over 75% of required programmes, against the Ofcom quota of 53%.

Concert Halls: Greater London

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the need for a new concert hall in London.

Mr Edward Vaizey: In February 2015 the Chancellor announced that the government would fund the Barbican in the City of London to consider the feasibility of a creating a new world class concert hall in London.As part of the Spending Review, the Chancellor agreed to provide a further £5.5million over the next 18 months for more detail business case work, which fully explore the costs and benefits of options for this project.

BBC: Royal Charters

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects (a) the public responses and (b) the Government's response to the Government consultation on the BBC Charter Review to be published.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government's BBC Charter Review Consultation closed in October having received over 190,000 responses - the second largest response to any Government consultation.These responses are currently being read and analysed and, once this process is completed, findings from the consultation will be published. The Government response to the consultation will be set out in a White Paper in the Spring.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on the continuation of payments for legacy benefits to claimants being transferred to universal credit until a first universal credit payment is received.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



Legacy benefit entitlement will cease when a claimant starts a claim for Universal Credit. We have put in place specific arrangements which allow a person transferring to Universal Credit to apply for an advance on their first UC payment.

Christmas Bonus

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were eligible to receive a Christmas bonus on their benefits had not received it on 24 December 2015.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



Everyone eligible for a Christmas bonus will receive their payment in full. A technical error meant that 327,379 people had a delayed payment.

Department for Work and Pensions: Conditions of Employment

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of staff working in his Department are employees on fixed-term contracts.

Justin Tomlinson: There are 2,006 employees on fixed term contracts out of a workforce of 84,429, which equates to 2.4%.

Universal Credit: North West

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parent households that are in receipt of housing benefit will be affected by changes to universal credit work allowances in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West.

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parent households not in receipt of housing benefit will be affected by changes to universal credit work allowances in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.The number of people on benefits is driven by a range of factors. Because of this, the programme measures progress by the successful achievement of its delivery plan rather than numbers of claimants.

Department for Work and Pensions: Atos Healthcare

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value is of the personal independence payment assessment contract with ATOS; what the main key performance indicators (KPIs) are under that contract; and what the (a) financial and (b) other penalties are for failure to meet KPIs.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has two Personal Independence Payment (PIP) contracts with Atos, each covering a geographical area. North of England & Scotland (Lot 1) has a value of £206,703,507. London & South of England (Lot 3) has a value of £183,894,556.There are a number of Service Levels (Key Performance Indicators are not used in PIP contracts) which Atos are required to deliver to meet the Department’s service requirements. These are detailed in the attached Annex 1. In addition, a number of interim Service Levels have been introduced to address specific performance targets.In the event Atos fail to achieve a key service level, contracts provide for Service Credits to be applied. Service Credits are a contractual remedy applied to Atos to recognise the loss of service received and to ensure any performance issues are rectified quickly.

Housing Benefit: Burnley

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Burnley receive housing benefit.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is published and available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Universal Credit

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants who are considered by his Department to have a limited capability to work are in receipt of universal credit in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK.

Priti Patel: The information you have requested is not currently available.During 2016 we will be increasing the range of statistics on Universal Credit which will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Universal Credit: North West

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit switch centres there are in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West.

Priti Patel: There are two Universal Credit service centres in the North West - Bolton and Makerfield.

Jobcentre Plus: North West

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many computers each jobcentre in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West has available for recipients of universal credit to access benefits online.

Priti Patel: The number of computers available in jobcentres for recipients to access benefits online are as follows:Burnley 6Lancashire 191North West 474In addition, claimants who do not have their own internet access can be signposted to local services such as libraries or local authority facilities.

Universal Credit: Burnley

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Burnley are in receipt of universal credit.

Priti Patel: According to the latest published statistics, there were 1,136 Universal Credit claimants in Burnley in November 2015.This information can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-29-apr-2013-to-3-dec-2015

Department for Work and Pensions: Legal Costs

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's legal costs were in Ashley Hurley, Mary Jarrett and Lee Palmer v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, CO/2717/2014 and CO/3220/2014.

Justin Tomlinson: The government has to date spent approximately £53,000 on legal costs associated with the case of Hurley and Others v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2015]It should be noted that this figure includes VAT where this is payable (e.g. on Counsel’s fees) but do not include costs attributable to the time spent by government advisory lawyers on these cases. Time spent by such advisory lawyers is not recorded in a manner that allows it to be attributed to individual cases. Nor does it include any costs payable by the Secretary of State to the other parties to these cases or received from the other parties.

Personal Independence Payment: Disability Premium

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people no longer receive the disability premium following their transfer from receipt of disability living allowance to personal independence payments.

Justin Tomlinson: Disability premium is an extra amount automatically added to Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) for those who qualify.Information on the payment of this premium for those who were also receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and have now transferred to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Housing Associations

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether universal credit applicants who are housing association tenants are informed upon application of the need for a letter from their landlord in order to receive housing cost assistance; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



When someone makes a claim to Universal Credit they are advised of the verification needed to receive the Housing Element of Universal Credit. This is re-iterated when the claimant is contacted to book their initial interview at the Jobcentre.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the estimated cost is of payments of universal credit to (a) people already in receipt of universal credit on 1 April 2016 and (b) other claimants in 2016-17.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the spending reduction in 2016-17 that will result from (a) the changes in universal credit work allowances and (b) other changes in universal credit taking effect in April 2016.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



The fiscal implications of policy changes were published by the government in July 2015 “Summer Budget 2015: policy costings” and November 2015 “Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015: policy costings. See links below:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443195/Policy_costings_summer_budget_2015.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/480565/SRAS2015_policy_costings_amended_page_25.pdf

Universal Credit

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the number of people in work who will be in receipt of universal credit in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



The number of people on benefits is driven by a range of factors. Because of this, the Universal Credit programme measures progress by the successful achievement of its delivery plan, rather than numbers of claimants.

Jobcentre Plus: Wallasey

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the savings accrued by the closure of the Wallasey Jobcentre Plus in Liscard.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who his Department consulted prior to 18 September 2015 on the proposed closure of Wallasey Jobcentre Plus; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 9 September 2015 to Question 9059, which other key stakeholders have been consulted on co-locating with Wallasey Jobcentre Plus; and when he plans to publish the outcomes, responses and findings of those consultations.

Priti Patel: The proposed relocation of Department for Work and Pensions colleagues from Wallasey Dominick House to Birkenhead Brunswick House will provide an expected net financial saving of around £450,000 by 2018.Notification of the 4-week consultation period was sent to all key stakeholders of Wallasey Jobcentre Plus, including Angela Eagle MP, Eric Robinson (Chief Executive Wirral Council), People Plus (Work Programme Provider), Ingeus (Work Programme Provider), Citizens Advice Bureau, and Wirral Welfare Rights.The Department has no plans to publish the outcome of the consultation.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of 11 January 2015 to Questions 21337 and 21336, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the vast majority of existing universal credit claimants will see no change in entitlement.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many potential overlapping payments between those processed through the universal credit live service and those processed for housing benefit have been identified in the East London Jobcentre Plus district since 2013.

Priti Patel: We do not retain statistics to identify the information requested, however we have safeguards in place to ensure an effective transition in these instances to avoid overlapping benefits.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of women born in the 1950s who have been affected by the changes to pension terms made in 1995 and 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: We have interpreted the question as asking how many women in total were affected by State Pension age equalisation in either the Pensions Act 1995 or the Pensions Act 2011 or the increase in the State Pension age to 66 in the Pensions Act 2011.The estimated number of women born between April 1950 and December 1959 who are affected by the changes to State Pension age made in the 1995 and 2011 Pensions Acts is 3.48 million. This figure, rounded to the nearest 10,000, is for Great Britain and is based on DWP calculations using ONS statistics.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the final version of the Evaluation of Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy was agreed within his Department.

Justin Tomlinson: The contractors who were commissioned to undertake the report into the evaluation of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy provided the Department with the final version of the report on 8 December 2015.It was agreed within the Department on 11 December 2015 and publication details were announced on the same day.

Christmas Bonus

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were paid their Christmas bonus on their benefits in the first week of December 2015.

Priti Patel: For Working Age a total of 430,160 customersreceived their Christmas Bonus with their benefit payment for the period covering week commencing 7th December.The Pension Service has deemed that to provide a response to this PQ for any of their products could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the Department.

Universal Credit: Council Tax

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what advice his Department gives to universal credit applicants on their eligibility for council tax reduction.

Priti Patel: Local Council Tax reduction schemes are delivered by Local Authorities.Universal Credit claimants are signposted to the Local Authority for information on eligibility.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Anaerobic Digestion

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (a) providing more funding through and (b) improving the effectiveness of the feed-in tariff incentive regime for smaller on-site anaerobic digestion in order to encourage cost-effective on-site treatment of food and farming residues and to reduce carbon emissions from the production of food.

George Eustice: The Government is committed to cost-effective decarbonisation of our electricity supply as well as protecting consumer bills by controlling costs passed on to consumers through their energy bills. Officials in Defra and the Department of Energy and Climate Change are currently working closely together in considering levels of support for anaerobic digestion through the Feed-in Tariff scheme and a consultation will be published in the coming months.

Waste Disposal

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to support the development of small-scale on-site renewable solutions in the agri-food sector, based on residues from food factories and farm slurries and crop residues.

George Eustice: Small scale on-site renewables are supported through the Feed-in Tariffs and the Renewable Heat Incentive schemes. Defra and Department of Energy and Climate Change officials are currently working together on a review of the support for renewable energy schemes through both Feed in Tariffs and the Renewable Heat Incentive. This includes the support for anaerobic digestion of residues, wastes and slurries. Consultations on the schemes will be published in the coming months.

Landfill

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban bio-degradable food processing and farm residues from disposal to landfill.

Rory Stewart: The EU revised Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC) requires Member States to apply the waste management hierarchy. Landfill sits at the bottom of the hierarchy and should be the last resort for most waste. Landfill tax is the main driver in diverting waste from landfill in the UK, and is currently £82.60 per tonne for the standard rate and £2.60 per tonne for inert waste. We believe this represents the correct solution to bio-degradable food waste.The EU Landfill Directive includes targets to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) going to landfill. In 2013 the amount of BMW going to landfill in the UK reduced to 26% of the 1995 baseline, against a 35% target for 2020.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish a full impact assessment of the Government's proposal for clean air zones.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to announce details of the responsibilities to be imposed on the five cities in which clean air zones will be introduced.

Rory Stewart: We will be working closely over the coming months with the five cities in which Clean Air Zones are to be introduced to develop the detail of the actions required. An impact assessment of the proposals for Clean Air Zones will be published later this year alongside a consultation on a framework for Clean Air Zones and the secondary legislation to be introduced.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason passenger cars have been exempted from the proposed clean air zones in her Department's plan to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to empower local authorities in proposed clean air zones to charge private cars which do not comply with EU vehicle emission standards.

Rory Stewart: Local Authorities already have powers under Part 3 of the Transport Act 2000 which can be used to establish Clean Air Zones. Vehicles have to comply with European emissions standards in order to be put on the market and we have been pushing strongly for action to improve the standards and for real driving emission testing to be introduced as quickly as possible.As set out in our air quality plan for reducing nitrogen dioxide emissions, published on 17 December 2015, we will be requiring five cities in England to introduce Clean Air Zones and discourage certain types of vehicles from entering them. The plan identifies different categories of Clean Air Zone which may be appropriate depending on the circumstances of a particular Local Authority introducing a zone. However, the plan explains that, for those five cities, we have assessed that we can bring the UK into compliance with nitrogen dioxide limits without requiring the Local Authorities to impose restrictions on passenger cars. Further, the plan sets out the Mayor of London’s commitment to introduce an Ultra Low Emission Zone by September 2020 covering a range of vehicles, including passenger cars.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: UK Membership of EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency arrangements her Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 14 January 2016, PQ UIN 21952.

Cosmetics: Plastics

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will introduce a ban on plastic microbeads in cosmetic products similar to that introduced in the US.

George Eustice: The UK and neighbouring countries are working with industry to achieve a voluntary phase out of plastic microbeads in cosmetics and soaps.The issue was discussed at the OSPAR Conference in 2014 and the cosmetics industry in Europe has committed to act.

Air Pollution

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of particulate matter pollution; and what account her Department took of such trends when developing its air quality plan.

Rory Stewart: There has been a long term decrease in the emissions of all air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM). This trend can be seen in our recent statistical release, Emissions of Air Pollutants in the UK 1970 to 2014, published on 17 December 2015. Emissions of PM10 have fallen by 72.6 percent since 1970 and emissions of PM2.5 have fallen by 76 percent. The UK plan for improving air quality is designed to fulfil our requirements in relation to nitrogen dioxide. Many of the sources of nitrogen oxides are also sources of particulate matter. A number of the solutions identified in the plan to address nitrogen dioxide will also have an impact on emissions of particulate matter and will contribute to this downward trend.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to issue guidance on the maximum length of time that a charging Clean Air Zone could be operated on a voluntary basis.

Rory Stewart: We will be consulting on the framework for Clean Air Zones and the secondary legislation to be introduced later this year. This will include the important principles that need to be consistent from city to city to ensure Clean Air Zones are implemented in the same way by Local Authorities across England. We will work with Local Authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that we provide the guidance they will find most relevant and useful.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding will be allocated to local authorities to undertake scoping studies related to the establishment of Clean Air Zones.

Rory Stewart: We will be providing funding to support the implementation of Clean Air Zones where necessary and will be discussing the details of this with the relevant Local Authorities.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set standards for the implementation of a low emission strategy in those areas currently exceeding EU nitrogen dioxide emissions limits which will not be part of the five Clean Air Zones.

Rory Stewart: In the UK plan for improving air quality, published on 17 December 2015, we set out that as a minimum we expect all Local Authorities with areas currently exceeding the required NO2 levels, to consider putting in place a Low Emission Strategy. Such a Strategy could be used to set out a range of commitments and actions to tackle pollution as part of a coherent multi-year programme.Defra, in collaboration with the Low Emissions Strategies Partnership of Local Authorities, published the Low Emissions Strategies Guidance Document in 2010. This guidance provides an outline of the principles of Low Emission Strategies and examples of good practice.

Angling: Licensing

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will simplify the fishing licence regime to expand fishing as a sport.

George Eustice: The Environment Agency is currently undertaking a number of activities to modernise the current rod licence service. This includes a proposal to change the licence structure and associated charges. The proposed new licence structure includes a number of changes such as a full year rolling licence rather than a fixed single season; a licence for a maximum of three rods rather than the current two and a free junior licence for anglers under the age of 16. The Environment Agency will consult on these proposals in the spring.

Ash Dieback Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce the occurrence of ash dieback disease.

Rory Stewart: Our long-term national strategy to manage Ash Dieback is based on science, international best practice and the advice of the UK Chief Plant Health Officer.We are protecting non-infected areas and have invested over £21 million in tree health research. Restrictions on the movement of ash, both inland and from other countries, are currently in place.The Government-funded screening trial of 155,000 ash saplings is unprecedented in its scope and the UK is leading the way on the work to identify resistant strains. Collectively, our research is aimed at identifying the genetic basis for natural tolerance and screening our native ash trees for genetic markers. Work is also underway to further our understanding of the pathogen, how it spreads and local management approaches to protect individual, high value trees.Our surveillance programme involving Government, industry, conservation groups and the public enables us to monitor the disease and to target resources effectively.

Neonicotinoids

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's policy is on the use of neonicotinoids, when that policy was last updated; and what plans she has to revise that policy.

George Eustice: The Government’s policy on pesticides, including neonicotinoids, is that decisions should be made on the basis of scientific evidence. Restrictions should be put in place if, and only if, these are necessary to protect people or the environment.EU restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids imposed in 2013 remain in force and have been fully implemented in the UK. The European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority to review the risks to pollinators from neonicotinoids. This review is due to conclude in January 2017 and may lead to changes to the current restrictions.

Flood Control: Yorkshire and the Humber

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has allocated to (a) capital investment in and (b) maintenance flood protection schemes in (i) Barnsley East constituency, (ii) Barnsley, (iii) South Yorkshire and (iv) Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: The capital allocation for investment in flood schemes and revenue maintenance allocations for the Yorkshire RFCC area shown in the table below:Funding in £000’s for the following financial years2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15Capital investment in schemes28,800 10,900 17,400 28,800 43,000Revenue maintenance12,536 11,516 13,751 10,685 14,409Environment Agency records regarding historic spend are collated for the geographical area covered by the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) as a whole, which includes Barnsley.

Flood Control: Yorkshire and the Humber

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of her Department's budget for (a) capital investment and (b) maintenance flood protection schemes in (i) Barnsley East constituency, (ii) Barnsley, (iii) South Yorkshire and (iv) Yorkshire and the Humber in each year to 2020.

Rory Stewart: The 6 year capital investment programme allows allocations to be identified at various geographical levels which are provided in the following table.The maintenance allocation for the financial year 2016 to 2017 is due to be approved at the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) meeting on January 21st.Funding £000’s for the following financial yearsLocation2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21   CapitalBarnsley East266000060Barnsley266000060South Yorkshire7,5405,4603,1429,21510,1042,487Yorkshire RFCC37,31247,30061,70063,80043,20026,800Yorkshire and the Humber46,61755,14666,94877,04961,08047,839MaintenanceYorkshire RFCC15,063Yet to be agreed

Livestock: Antibiotics

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial support her Department provides to livestock farmers to mitigate the development of antibiotic resistance; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: No specific financial support is offered to livestock farmers to mitigate the development of antibiotic resistance.We will continue to promote the importance of the vet-farmer relationship, and the need to be proactive in looking at any measures in husbandry practices that will reduce disease, and therefore the need for antibiotics, in livestock production

Milk: Prices

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage the grocery code adjudicator to investigate milk prices paid by Meadow Foods.

George Eustice: The GCA is responsible for enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and was formed by the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013. The Code governs the commercial relationships between the ten largest UK supermarkets and their direct suppliers, and reflects the findings of the Competition Commission’s market investigation into the supermarket sector conducted between 2006 and 2008. The Code does not cover the relationship between milk processors, such as Meadow Foods, and its farmers.I have written to Meadow Foods to ask how it manages its relationship with farmers and to encourage it to sign up to the dairy industry code of best practice on contractual arrangements.

Anaerobic Digestion

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to incentivise small-scale on-farm anaerobic digestion systems.

George Eustice: Defra and DECC officials are working together on a review of the support for renewable energy schemes through both Feed in Tariffs and the Renewable Heat Incentive. This includes the support for farm-scale anaerobic digestion. Consultations on the schemes will be published in the coming months.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2015 to Question 14627, what estimate her Department has made of the total funding available to the Waste and Resources Action Programme in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: No final decisions on budget allocations have been reached and Defra’s Business Planning process is due to conclude at the end of February. Until this time it would not be appropriate to comment on planning assumptions, including total funding for the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Dogs: Sales

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the online sale of puppies; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Defra is currently consulting on proposals to modernise the licensing of animal related activities including the regulation of pet shops. The consultation includes a proposal to clarify that those trading pets commercially on-line should be licensed.

Neonicotinoids

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the conclusions of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's assessment of the neoniocotinoid imidacloprid, published on 6 January 2016.

George Eustice: The United States Environmental Protection Agency has published a “Preliminary Pollinator Assessment to Support the Registration Review of Imidacloprid”. The Agency aims to produce the final assessment at the end of 2016. The preliminary assessment indicates a risk to honey bees from uses of imidacloprid on cotton and some uses on citrus. Risks from use on a number of other crops were low and a shortage of data meant that the risks from use on other crops were uncertain.The US assessment cannot be read across to the UK situation as there are many differences in the crops, methods of applying the pesticide and environmental conditions.The European Food Safety Authority has begun a scientific evaluation of the risk to bees from imidacloprid, as well as two other neonicotinoids (clothianidin and thiamethoxam). The UK will participate fully in that review.

Nature Conservation: EU Law

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the 28 measures identified on pages four to six of her Department's publication, Report of the Habitats and Wild Birds Directives Implementation Review, published in March 2012, what steps she has taken to implement each of those measures.

Rory Stewart: Defra reviewed the implementation of the Habitats Directive in 2012. A progress report against the delivery of the 28 measures identified can be found below.www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-of-the-habitats-directive-implementation-reviewWe are continuing to work closely with Natural England and business and conservation organisations to further improve our implementation of the Directives. For example, Natural England is working with Woking Borough Council on a strategic plan for great crested newt conservation, which will protect and enhance newt populations whilst reducing burdens on housing developments.We are also engaging fully in the European Commission’s REFIT review of the nature directives. Our response to its consultation can be found at:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/fitness_check/index_en.htm

Nature Conservation: EU Law

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Written Statement of 12 January 2016, HCWS 462, on December Environment Council, what steps she plans to take to improve the implementation of EU Nature Directives.

Rory Stewart: The REFIT review of the Habitats and Wild Birds Directives is due to conclude in spring 2016. We will work with other EU Member States to identify how we can best work together to improve implementation of the Directives in the light of the Commission’s conclusions.We are continuing to work closely with Natural England and business and conservation organisations to further improve our domestic implementation of the Directives. For example, Natural England is working with Woking Borough Council on a strategic plan for great crested newt conservation, which will protect and enhance newt populations whilst reducing burdens on housing developments.www.gov.uk/government/consultations/great-crested-newt-pilot-scheme-in-woking-opportunity-to-comment

Thames Flood Barrier

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions the Thames Barrier has been used in each of the last 30 years.

Rory Stewart: The following table shows the number of Thames Barrier closures in each flood season since its opening in 1982. A “flood season” is defined as the time period from September to April.  YearCombined Tidal/FluvialTidalGrand Total1982 - 19830111983 - 19840001984 - 19850001985 - 19861011986 - 19870111987 - 19880001988 - 19890111989 - 19903141990 - 19910221991 - 19920001992 - 19930441993 - 19944371994 - 19952241995 - 19960441996 - 19970111997 - 19980111998 - 19990221999 - 20003362000 - 2001816242001 - 20021342002 - 2003128202003 - 20040112004 - 20050442005 - 20060332006 - 20070882007 - 20080662008 - 20094152009 - 20103252010 - 20110002011 - 20120002012 - 20135052013 - 2014419502014 - 2015011Grand Total8788175

Neonicotinoids

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on research taking place to find alternatives to neonicotinoid pesticides.

George Eustice: Research to bring individual insecticides to the market is carried out by pesticide companies. A number of public bodies fund research into pest control chemicals, biological controls and cultural methods. This includes funding from Innovate UK through mechanisms including the Agri-Tech Catalyst, which helps develop innovative solutions to challenges in crop production. Defra research into alternatives to current chemical pesticides can be found at http://randd.defra.gov.uk.

Livestock: Disease Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20502, if she will make it her policy to update the Veterinary Medicine Regulations and the Summary of Product Characteristics of antibiotic products in order to end the preventative administration of antibiotics where no disease has been diagnosed in any of the animals in the group being to treated.

George Eustice: The Government will consider the need to revise the Veterinary Medicines regulation after the conclusion of the current review of the EU legislative framework on veterinary medicines and medicated feedingstuffs.In the meantime the Government has reissued guidance on the responsible use of animal medicines on the farm to emphasise that we do not support the routine preventative use of antibiotics, or the use of antibiotics to compensate for poor animal husbandry.In the UK, antibiotic veterinary medicines are only available through a prescription from a veterinary surgeon, who in turn can only prescribe to animals under their care following a clinical assessment. Using antibiotics responsibly is a requirement of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Code of Professional Conduct for Vets.

Trees

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of trees have been (a) felled and (b) replanted on Forestry Commission land in England in each year since 2000.

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Forestry Commission England has spent on replanting in each year since 2000.

Rory Stewart: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway, Richard Arkless, on 5 January 2016, PQ20410.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals on the introduction of (a) call-in and (b) scrutiny arrangements for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill, when enacted, will require all combined authorities to establish at least one overview and scrutiny committee to scrutinise decisions and actions, and make recommendations to the authority. Such a committee will be able to call-in decisions of the combined authority and mayor and recommend that the decision be reconsidered.The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has – ahead of the legislative requirement – established such an overview and scrutiny committee. The Bill also requires the Secretary of State to make secondary legislation about membership of overview and scrutiny committees, which the Secretary of State intends to do as Parliamentary time allows. We are confident that with these legislative provisions each combined authority will have robust scrutiny arrangements commensurate with the powers the authority will exercise.

Ethnic Groups: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with its counterparts in Northern Ireland on the integration of minority communities.

Mr Marcus Jones: Officials have regular contact with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on issues of mutual interest, including integration, but we do not keep a central list of such contacts, many of which are informal.

Shopping Centres

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to combat the (a) decline in the use of local shopping centres and (b) fall in employment rates by local shopping centres; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is committed to helping our high streets and town centres thrive and is supporting them through a billion pound package of investment. This includes:- targeted tax breaks;- the doubling of small business rate relief;- sensible planning changes to allow business to respond flexibly to changing market conditions; and-taking action to tackle over-zealous parking practices.As a result, we have seen some very positive signs that our local centres are fighting back. Vacancy rates are in decline, retail sales are up for the 31st consecutive month and there was encouraging news on footfall over the festive period.My Department also ran the Great British High Street Competition, which this year received nearly 200,000 votes from the general public. This shows that local people cherish their high streets and that, if the broader retail sector can adapt to their changing needs, it can thrive.The devolution agenda also provides significant opportunities as we’re ensuring local areas that encourage growth reap the rewards. Councils will keep 100% of local taxes – including all £26 billion from business rates - by the end of this Parliament, providing a much stronger incentive to engage proactively with businesses in their local area.I am also aware that, in my hon. Friend’s constituency of Romford, local partners are pushing forward a range of exciting and innovative programmes such as the redesign of the local market. This work is regenerating the wider area and creating jobs. I would like to applaud Romford for this work and suggest that others look to follow their example.

Local Government: Pay

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to establish an independent body to monitor the salaries of council staff.

Mr Marcus Jones: Ministers have taken a number of steps to increase the transparency and accountability of local decisions on the pay and reward of council staff. This action has helped ensure that local people have the information they need to hold councils to account.Local elected members need to make sure that decisions about the remuneration of senior staff are clearly in the interest of local taxpayers, and that they operate to the same standards of restraint as the rest of the public sector.

Floods: Compensation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the total paid out by his Department in flood compensation grants to households who were not entitled to such payments in the last six weeks.

James Wharton: To date my Department has paid out £47 million to local authorities under the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme. The Scheme is intended to support local authorities with community recovery, business support and property resilience.

Caravans: Parking

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many motorhome-friendly parking sites there are in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold data for of the number of motorhome-friendly parking sites. Parking provision is a matter for which local authorities are responsible, and the development of parking policies should take account of the existing and projected levels of parking demand.

Playgrounds

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department spent on children's playgrounds in each year since 2008.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department of Communities and Local Government does not collect the information requested.

Sleeping Rough: Greater Manchester

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people under the age of (a) 16 and (b) 18 sleeping rough in Greater Manchester in the last 12 months.

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people under the age of (a) 16 and (b) 18 sleeping rough in the UK in the last 12 months.

Mr Marcus Jones: Information on the ages of rough sleepers is not collected centrally.We will increase central investment over the next four years to £139 million for innovative programmes to prevent and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping. We have also protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, through the provisional local government finance settlement totalling £315 million by 2019/20.

Funerals: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many public health funerals were there in each London borough in each year since 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect the information requested.

Sleeping Rough

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how his Department is working with the voluntary sector to reduce the level of rough sleeping.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable in society. That is why we are maintaining homelessness funding over this Spending Review period, building on our significant investment since 2010. We will increase central investment over the next four years to £139 million for innovative programmes to prevent and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping. We have also protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, through the provisional local government finance settlement totalling £315 million by 2019/20.But one person without a home is one too many, and I have had the opportunity to see first hand the vital role that voluntary sector organisations play in supporting vulnerable homeless people off the streets and into independence. I will continue to work closely with the voluntary sector and local authorities on how we improve the impact of homelessness services and break the cycle of homelessness. This includes the Department’s programme of work with Homeless Link, the national umbrella body for single homelessness organisations in England. I also host a regular forum with Chief Executives from the sector on how we best meet the needs of vulnerable homeless people, including rough sleepers, which is next meeting on 1 February.

Sleeping Rough

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of levels of rough sleeping in town centres on the use of town centres by the general public.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable in society. But one person without a home is one too many, which is why we are maintaining homelessness funding over this Spending Review period, building on our significant investment since 2010. We will increase central investment over the next four years to £139 million for innovative programmes to prevent and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping. We have also protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, through the provisional local government finance settlement totalling £315 million by 2019/20.It is for local authorities to determine what homelessness services are required to best meet the needs of their local area, including provision of suitable accommodation. More rough sleepers are being found and helped quicker thanks to our investment in StreetLink, which gives the public a means to act when they see someone sleeping rough. Since the launch of StreetLink in December 2012, over 16,000 rough sleepers have been found and connected with local services so that they can get the help that they need to get them off the streets. We are committed to do more to improve services for homeless people with complex needs. Building on London’s approach of using social investment to improve outcomes for rough sleepers, we will be setting up a new Social Impact BondFund to help the most complex and entrenched rough sleepers.

Ministry of Defence

Asylum: Cyprus

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of housing and supporting migrants who arrived (a) in October 1998 and (b) on 21 October 2015 in the RAF Dhekelia and RAF Akrotiri Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.

Penny Mordaunt: It is not possible to provide an exact sum spent in total on the migrants who arrived in 1998. The costs of the provision of welfare and education, based on recent data, is around €165,000 per year.The total recorded cost to date to the public purse for housing and supporting the migrants who arrived onto Sovereign Base Areas Administrationland on 21 October 2015 is £1,122,972. This includes the initial emergency response, security costs, construction of the Transit Facility and ongoing support costs. Those costs which relate to the support and welfare of the migrants will be counted against the Government's targets for overseas aid.An element of this total includes estimated costs that are to be paid in arrears.

USS Ronald Reagan: Official Visits

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the purpose was of the visit of his officials to the USS Ronald Reagan on 8 January 2016; and what the rank of the visiting officials was.

Michael Fallon: The purpose of my visit to the USS Ronald Reagan was to share US thinking about security challenges in North and Southeast Asia. I was accompanied by the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, the Director General for Security Policy, the UK Ambassador and the Defence Attache.

Ministry of Defence: UK Membership of EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contingency arrangements his Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 14 January 2016 to Question 21931.

Syria: Military Intervention

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF missions have been flown over Syria.

Penny Mordaunt: I can confirm that from November 2014 until 10 January 2016 the RAF has conducted 324 missions over Syria.

Iraq: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian casualties have been recorded in Iraq as a result of RAF military intervention since 2 December 2015.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian casualties have been recorded in Syria as a result of RAF military intervention since 2 December 2015.

Penny Mordaunt: There have been no recorded civilian casualties in Iraq or Syria as a result of RAF military intervention since 2 December 2015.

Ministry of Defence Police

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to ensure that (a) the armed policing of civilian-staffed MOD establishments will continue to be undertaken by units which are subject to civil police regulations, accountability and obligations and (b) such units will continue to be responsible for dealing with demonstrators at nuclear establishments.

Michael Fallon: It is Defence policy to use the MOD Police (MDP) as part of security arrangements at establishments where there is an essential requirement for constabulary powers. An ability to deploy appropriate trained and equipped public order capability in response to spontaneous or pre-planned incidents or events remains a core task of the MDP.

Ministry of Defence Police

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the advantages of (a) expertise, (b) experience and (c) continuity in the use of specialist MOD civilian police in guarding sensitive military establishments.

Michael Fallon: In 2013 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) completed a review of its civil policing and guarding policy and requirements to ensure that these reflect the main security and crime risks faced by the Department, and were being met as cost effectively as possible by the MOD Police, the Military Provost Guard Service and the MOD Guard Service.The review recognised the very important role that the MOD Police played in support of security of the defence estate, but concluded that there was scope to make reductions to the number of guarding and civil policing posts at some sites, whilst maintaining effective and proportionate security at all of our sites. Overall the changes represented an improvement in security risk management; however, the safety of our personnel, assets and information continues to be our priority and our security arrangements are kept under review to meet these requirements.

Ministry of Defence: Industrial Relations

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the four desks allocated in his Department's main building to the Defence Police Federation are being withdrawn; whether those allocated to Defence trades union representatives are also being withdrawn; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The decision to ask the Defence Police Federation to relocate their Head Office function was made as part of our plans to make more efficient use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) Main Building and will generate substantial savings. An offer of alternative office accommodation at the MOD Police Headquarters has been made to the Defence Police Federation. This follows the standard approach taken by Home Office police forces where local Police Federation officials are collocated at the Force Headquarters for business reasons.

Ministry of Defence Police

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of replacing civilian Ministry of Defence police by soldiers.

Michael Fallon: Our security policy is to focus Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) resources on those areas of Defence business where civil policing powers can best mitigate the crime and security risks faced by the MOD. MDP officers have full constabulary powers (when operating within their permitted jurisdiction and in certain specified situations) and can therefore operate, armed, inside and outside the wire. However, the MOD has several security providers and can deploy Service personnel, with the flexibility to perform both armed and unarmed guarding, and the unarmed MOD Guard Service in roles where constabulary powers are not deemed essential.

HM Treasury

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent members of staff were employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2005.

Mr David Gauke: The number of full-time equivalent members of staff employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2005 is shown in the following table.YearFull-time equivalent staff in postApril 200597,073.36April 200692,888.45April 200788,935.55April 200883,827.84April 200981,159.89April 201070,699.64April 201166,880.89April 201266,466.00April 201364,476.36April 201461,370.12April 201557,138.24

Flood Control: Tax Allowances

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to provide tax reliefs similar to those provided to businesses that contribute to flood defence schemes to landowners and farmers who assist in managing flood risk through soil management, investment in flood defences and water storage.

Mr David Gauke: The Government keeps all tax policy under review. Any changes in tax policy are announced by the Chancellor at the Budget or Autumn Statement.At the Spending Review the Government confirmed that Defra’s £2.3bn, six-year flood defence capital programme will be protected, which will invest in over 1,500 schemes by 2021 to better protect 300,000 homes. The programme will also deliver economic benefits of £30bn in avoided damage over the next 50 years, and reduce overall flood risk in England by 5%.Following Storm Desmond and Storm Eva the Government has announced over £200m of funding to support households and businesses, and repair damaged flood defences and roads. Council tax and business rate relief has also been announced for affected households and firms.

Multinational Companies: Tax Avoidance

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of progress in implementing the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Action Plan.

Mr David Gauke: The G20 Leaders endorsed the package of measures developed under the ambitious G20/OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project at the Antalya Summit, 15-16 November 2015.The UK has already taken action to implement two of the internationally agreed BEPS outputs with domestic legislation to introduce country-by-reporting and rules to address hybrid mismatches.Several BEPS outputs need to be implemented through changes to double tax treaties. Over 90 countries are working with the OECD to develop a Multilateral Instrument, which will simultaneously update their bilateral treaties. The UK chairs the group, which is scheduled to complete its work by the end of 2016.The G20 has called on the OECD to develop a framework by early 2016 to monitor the implementation of the BEPS project globally involving all countries that commit to implement the BEPS outputs.

Business: Taxation

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of savings that will accrue to UK businesses from his Department's  plans to introduce quarterly tax returns for business by 2020.

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with organisations representing small businesses on its plans to introduce quarterly tax returns for businesses by 2020.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that any extra workload due to plans to require the filing of quarterly tax returns by small businesses does not reduce profits and productivity for such small businesses.

Mr David Gauke: I refer the honourable Members to my response of 11 January 2016 (with references 20876 and 21032).

Construction: VAT

Ben Howlett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce the level of VAT applicable to construction companies involved in the conversion of non-residential buildings to residential use.

Mr David Gauke: The sale of, or long lease in, non-residential buildings that have been converted to residential use is, subject to certain criteria, zero-rated for VAT.

Revenue and Customs: ICT

Sir David Amess: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many IT contractors engaged by HM Revenue and Customs work through a personal service company.

Mr David Gauke: All IT contractors have been engaged by HMRC through centralised Government contracts and Frameworks that comply fully with Cabinet Office procurement guidelines.

Tobacco: Taxation

Bob Blackman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library HM Revenue and Customs' full workings, including the methodology, modelling and assumptions, which underpinned the figures included in the Tobacco Levy Consultation, published in September 2015, on the tobacco levy yield after behavioural effects.

Damian Hinds: The response to the tobacco levy consolation included the HMRC costing note and the DEFRA review of HMRC’s methodology, alongside consultation responses and the government’s summary. Since the government does not generally publish analysis of polices that do not go ahead, the publishing of these documents goes significantly beyond usual practice. HMRC also publish a methodological paper on tobacco entitled Econometric Analysis of Cigarette Consumption in the UK. This can be found on gov.uk.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people had supporting documents confirming identity and finances lost by the Tax Credit Office in each month in 2015; and how much was paid in compensation to people affected by such a loss.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested data.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many changes in household circumstances have been processed relating to claimants (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Mr David Gauke: The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many existing tax credit claimants had their payments stopped in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested data.

Bank Services

Nigel Huddleston: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to widen access to basic bank accounts.

Harriett Baldwin: Improving access to banking services is central to the Government’s agenda. I am therefore delighted that the nine largest personal current account providers in the UK have been offering new basic bank accounts since January 2016.For the first time, truly fee-free basic bank accounts are available for anyone who doesn’t have an account, or can’t use their account due to financial difficulty.

HSBC

Kate Osamor: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the Financial Conduct Authority's decision to end its review into HSBC.

Harriett Baldwin: The FCA are operationally independent of Government. They are responsible for deciding how to carry out their functions, and for assessing the implication of their actions.

Small Businesses: Exports

Marion Fellows: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take fiscal steps to support exports by SMEs.

Mr David Gauke: The government has provided significant support to first time exporters, many of whom are Small and Medium Enterprises.A significant package was announced at Autumn Statement 2014, and funding for this initiative was continued at Spending Review 2015.

Financial Services: Advisory Services

James Berry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to widen access to financial advice.

Harriett Baldwin: Last year the Government and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) jointly launched the Financial Advice Market Review. The Review is exploring how the UK’s financial advice market is operating for consumers, and what more can be done to ensure they have the access they need to high-quality, affordable advice so they can make informed decisions with their hard earned money. The Review will report ahead of Budget 2016.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fracking

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of (a) known available oil and gas reserves and (b) reserves estimated to be found as a result of fracking she plans to be left unexploited.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fracking

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much the Government plans to spend from the public purse on supporting or enabling exploratory and productive fracking in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Renewable Energy: EU Action

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what cross-departmental structures her Department has established with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport since May 2015 to ensure progress on meeting the EU target of 15 per cent of energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Andrea Leadsom: My rt. hon Friend has regular meetings with colleagues from all Departments with an interest in Climate Change and Energy policy.The 2020 renewables target is relevant to a number of government policies, and my Department ensures that all views across government are taken into account.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Information Officers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many press and public relations staff are employed by her Department; how many of those employees are paid more than (a) £50,000 and (b) £100,000; and what the total expenditure was on press and public relations by her Department in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office employs four communications officers who deal with press and public relations as part of their roles. One is paid more than (a) £50,000 and none are paid more than (b) £100,000 per year. Total expenditure for press and public relations for the current financial year is £255,230 which includes staff time.

Department of Health

Suicide: Children and Young People

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people aged between 15 and 18 took their own lives in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. The table below shows the number of deaths by suicide in people aged 15-29 in the United Kingdom between 2011 and 2013. 2013 is the latest year in which statistics are available.Age-specific deaths by suicide (15-29 years): males and females, United Kingdom, 2011 to 2013YearDeaths (Males)Deaths (Females)Deaths (Total)20118442591,10320128622141,0762013797180977 Notes:1. In the United Kingdom, suicide is defined as deaths given an underlying cause of intentional self-harm or injury/poisoning of undetermined intent.2. Figures include deaths of non-residents.3. Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.Source: Office for National Statistics, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, National Records of Scotland

Health Services: Weather

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2015 to Question 902116, how much additional financial support in winter resilience money the NHS received in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15; and on what dates in those years that additional support was allocated.

Alistair Burt: The following table shows funding given to the National Health Service for winter resilience each year:YearWinter Financial SupportDate2009-10No figures availableNot applicable2010-11No figures availableNot applicable2011-12£300 millionJanuary 20122012-13£330 millionSeptember 20122013-14£400 millionNovember 20132014-15£400 millionOctober 2014The figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are not available as funding was not recorded in this way prior to 2011.The figures for 2011-12 and 2012-13 represent additional non-recurrent funding provided to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts.The figures for 2013-14 and 2014-15 represent additional non-recurrent funding added to NHS England Mandate.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for colonoscopy to detect bowel cancer.

Jane Ellison: Helping more people survive cancer is a key priority for this Government.We expect the National Health Service to look urgently at any dips in local performance and take action to make sure all patients get access to cancer treatment as quickly as possible. NHS England has set up a taskforce to look at what should be done to ensure cancer waiting times standards are met.Specifically for colonoscopy for bowel cancer, the NHS has committed to train an extra 250 gastroenterologists by 2020. In addition, Health Education England has pledged to fund the training of 200 non-medical endoscopists to significantly increase endoscopy capacity in England. The first cohort will begin training at the end of January 2016. NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team (formerly NHS Improving Quality) is working intensively with trusts that have significant endoscopy waiting lists, in order to improve performance. The learning from this will be shared widely.NHS England is also exploring ways to improve endoscopy performance through pricing changes.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the (a) frequency of false (i) positives and (ii) negatives from the National Screening Programme for bowel cancer and (b) the effect of such false positives and negatives on waiting times for colonoscopy.

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the uptake of bowel screening was under the National Screening Programme for bowel cancer in England in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The National Bowel Screening Programme has been received positively since it commenced in 2006 and has seen a steady rise in participation achieving over 55% engagement over the last three years.Table: Bowel screening engagement of the last three yearsYear2011 - 20122012 - 20132013 - 2014Invited3,623,9503,839,3253,976,616Screened1,996,7012,246,8932,206,435Abnormal41,70740,98340,698Uptake55.10%58.52%55.49%The programme expects that engagement will continue to increase following a positive recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee to use Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) as the primary screen test for bowel cancer. FIT has seen an increase in participation especially amongst men and in deprived areas as well as help reduce the number of deaths from bowel cancer.Following a positive screening test approximately half (50%) of the patients, at colonoscopy will have either bowel cancer or adenomas that require surgical intervention. An additional 25% of patients will have another disease affecting the colon and may require medical attention outside of the bowel screening programme, with the remaining 25% of colonoscopies having no medical reason for a positive result.Bowel screening has increased colonoscopy work and has subsequently helped to improve the quality of this service. False negatives from the screening test have no direct impact on the waiting times since colonoscopy is not undertaken.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2015 to Question 18808, what assessment he made of the conclusion by the Independent Cancer Taskforce in its 2015 report entitled Achieving world class outcomes for cancer: A strategy for England 2015-2020 that faecal immunochemical testing has extremely poor rates of detection for precancerous polyps.

Jane Ellison: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recently consulted on the use of Faecal Immunochemical testing (FIT) as an alternative screen test for bowel cancer. Both the UK NSC and the Independent Cancer Taskforce are supportive of the initial results of the FIT pilot, which indicates that this test is more acceptable to the screened population with a significant increase in participation (10%). The UK NSC has published its minutes from the November meeting and recommends a change to use FIT as the primary test to be used in the National Health Service Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.We are considering the UK NSC’s recommendation.

Baby Care Units: Nurses

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 15 December 2015 to Questions 18901 and 18902, what the source is of the statement that 71 of the 131 neonatal critical care services now meet required staffing ratios; and if he will place a copy of the source document in the Library.

Ben Gummer: NHS England has used the Women and Children’s Derogation report to describe compliance against staffing ratios.The source document is attached.



Women and Children's Derogation report
(PDF Document, 123.71 KB)

NHS: Negligence

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many medical negligence cases with a value of damages less than £25,000 there have been in each of the last five years in which (a) costs exceeded damages and (b) costs were challenged.

Ben Gummer: The question has been interpreted that by medical negligence they mean clinical negligence. The Department does not hold the requested data; it has been sourced from the NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA).The table below shows the number of clinical negligence claims closed in each of the last five years with a value of damages less than £25,000 in which costs exceeded damages.Year of ClosureTotal Number Clinical Negligence Claims2010/111,5882011/121,7852012/131,9252013/142,1852014/152,417Source: NHS LADate: 13 January 2016In all cases claimant costs were challenged.

NHS Litigation Authority

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Recommendation 8 of his Department's Triennial Review of the NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA), published in July 2015, when he expects the NHS LA to publish its evaluation report of its pilot mediation programme.

Ben Gummer: The NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) recently undertook a mediation pilot in order to encourage and increase the use of mediation as a means of resolving claims against the National Health Service. The success of the pilot was evaluated and has demonstrated that mediation is highly effective as a forum for delivering early resolution for families and healthcare staff, particularly in delivering quality outcomes which are about more than just financial compensation. The lessons learned from the evaluation are being considered carefully in order to inform the NHS LA's strategy to increase mediation and potentially, to offer a mediation service. The Triennial Review did not state publication of the mediation pilot outcomes.

Radiotherapy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were treated by gamma knife radiosurgery machines (a) in England and (b) at each hospital in the last three years.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many gamma knife radiosurgery machines there are in (a) use, (b) NHS hospitals and which are privately owned and (c) private hospitals.

Jane Ellison: NHS England does not routinely collect, or hold, information on the numbers of gamma knife treatment platforms in use in England. However, NHS England can confirm that, as at summer 2015, there were at least seven providers equipped with gamma knife machines in England:- BUPA Cromwell*- London Gamma Knife Centre*- Queens Square Radiosurgery Centre*- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust- Leeds Gamma Knife Centre*- Thornbury Radiosurgery Centre Ltd*- University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation TrustNHS England took over responsibility for commissioning intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery/stereotactic radiotherapy services in April 2013. This is supported by a national service specification, together with a number of clinical commissioning policies. The service specification sets out that there are three acceptable treatment platforms to deliver the service, of which Gamma Knife is only one. National Health Service providers, that are commissioned to deliver the service, are responsible for determining which platform(s) to use.Notes:*Denotes independent sector providers.As the information is not routinely collected by NHS England, the above may not be fully reflective of the current position.

Sunbeds

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will introduce a ban on unstaffed tanning salons in England similar to that introduced in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Jane Ellison: The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 came into force on 8 April 2011 in England and Wales and the purpose of the Act is to prevent people under the age of 18 from using sunbeds on commercial premises, by making it an offence for sunbed businesses to allow people access under the age of 18 to sunbeds on their premises.Local authorities are responsible for enforcement of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010. Authorised officers have the right to enter premises believed to be sunbed businesses to carry out inspections, whether in response to a complaint or to check awareness and compliance with the Act. Some local authorities require sunbed outlets to operate under license.

Mental Illness

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with (a) anxiety and (b) depression in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: Data published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on the number and prevalence of patients aged 18 and over on the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) depression register in England, as at 31 March for the years 2010/11-2014/15 is shown in the table below.Data on anxiety is not collected through QOF. YearNumber of general practitioner (GP) practicesPatient list size all agesPercentage aged 18 and overEstimated patient list size of those aged 18 and overNumber of patients aged 18 and over on the depression registerPrevalance2014/15  2013/14  2012/13  2011/12  2010/117,779  7,921  8,020  8,123  8,24555,817,654  56,324,887  56,012,096  55,525,732  55,169,64379.3  79.3  79.0  79.0  79.045,083,980  44,667,478  44,238,483  43,855,136  43,578,3913,305,363  2,912,592  2,582,233  5,123,948  4,878,1887.3  6.5  5.8  11.7  11.2Source: Quality and Outcomes Framework annual publications, 2010/11 to 2014/15  Note: Data from years prior to 2012/13 are not comparable with data for years 2012/13 onwards as the QOF business rules for including patients on the depression register changed in 2012/13. Prior to 2012/13, all patients with a record of unresolved depression at any point in their GP patient record were included on the register. As of 1 April 2012, the register rules were changed to only include patients with a new diagnosis of depression in the preceding 1 April to 31 March, who have had a bio-psychosocial assessment by the point of diagnosis.

Independent Mental Health Advocates

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to promote independent mental health advocacy.

Alistair Burt: The Independent Mental Health Advocacy service is an essential element of the safeguards in place to protect the rights and interests of patients who have been detained or who are otherwise subject to compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983.   The revised Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice, which came into force in April 2015, makes clear that staff responsible for such patients also have a responsibility to ensure that they are aware of their right to request support from an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA). In cases where the patient lacks the capacity to make such a request, the Code is clear that staff should ask an IMHA to explain to the patient what they can offer.In March 2015 a suite of resources to support local areas in improving their IMHA services were published at:http://www.scie.org.uk/independent-mental-health-advocacy/further-resources/index.aspThese were the result of a national project, led by the Social Care Institute of Excellence and the University of Central Lancashire, and funded by the Department. The Department is also considering the scope for providing additional guidance through other means that can further clarify the role of mental health professionals in promoting access for qualifying patients to Independent Mental Health Advocates.

Mental Health Services: South West

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals in (a) Devon and (b) Cornwall have round the clock mental health support.

Alistair Burt: This information is not held centrally.NHS England advises that the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust has a 24-hour psychiatric liaison service that has been in operation since the beginning of January 2016 and that 24-hour duty support from the mental health services is available to access for all Devon hospitals.NHS England also advises secondary care mental health services are commissioned from Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust which includes 24/7 Home Treatment Team services and 24/7 in-patient services. NHS England assures me that NHS Kernow is committed to delivering the requirements of the National Crisis Care Concordat, including ensuring that people with mental health problems can get help 24 hours a day.

Embryology

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to recruit and retain embryologists in the NHS.

Ben Gummer: Healthcare providers are responsible for ensuring that they have the right level of staffing to provide high quality care.Health Education England (HEE) has been established to ensure the National Health Service has access to the right numbers of staff, at the right time and with the right skills. In doing so, HEE works with key external stakeholders to develop its National Workforce Plan for England which sets out the number of training places it will commission in the year ahead.HEE will continue to work with Local Education and Training Boards and others to ensure that there are sufficient Healthcare Scientists, including embryologists, being trained to meet the needs of patients.Currently HEE has 28 reproductive Scientists in training (which includes embryology) and are planning a further 11 to start in 2016/17.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21919, whether the £290 million announced for perinatal mental health, funded from the Department's overall Spending Review Settlement, is in addition to the £600 million announced in the 2015 Autumn Statement.

Alistair Burt: The £290 million for perinatal mental health is part of the £600 million announced for mental health which in turn is part of the Department’s spending review settlement announced during the 2015 Autumn Statement.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21922, which organisations other than CCGs have been allocated funding from the £173 million that has been allocated; and how much of that amount he estimates will be spent in 2015-16.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21922, how much of the £75 million allocated to CCGs to improve local services in 2015-16 has been spent.

Alistair Burt: Out of the £173 million, £105 million has gone to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) directly.The remaining £68 million has been allocated to the below organisations to be spent centrally on workforce and system development. These are approximations to the nearest million:- £58 million allocated to NHS England;- £9 million allocated to Health Education England; and- £1 million allocated to the Department of Health.The Government are taking a targeted and phased approach to ensuring the funding allocated to workforce and system development is spent effectively and plans are in place for this money to be spent.The figure of how much of the £75 million allocated to CCGs to improve local services has been spent is not available. NHS England is currently collecting monthly financial information regarding the amount of spend on child and adolescent mental health services. This is being validated during January and will be made available later in the year.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on research being undertaken to assist those severely affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

George Freeman: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a wide range of research relating to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Major investments include a £2.2 million programme of research with an overall aim to set up a primary care COPD cohort including the full range of disease severity, as a platform for testing novel health service interventions.The NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit at Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London has a £0.8 million research area in COPD, including severe COPD. Details of this research are available on the unit’s website at:www.rbht.nhs.uk/research/our-research/brus/research-areas/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/Current studies relating to severe COPD delivered by the NIHR Clinical Research Network include:- a study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two doses of benralizumab in patients with severe to very severe COPD with a history of COPD exacerbations;- a study to evaluate the effect of 52 weeks of once daily treatment of orally inhaled tiotropium and olodaterol fixed dose combination compared with tiotropium on COPD exacerbation in patients with severe to very severe COPD; and- a study to optimise dose selection and evaluate safety after treatment with the Holaira™ Lung Denervation System in patients with moderate to severe COPD.

Doctors

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) junior doctors and (b) consultants were employed by the NHS in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The number of junior doctors and consultants employed by the National Health Service in each of the last 10 years is in the attached table.



Junior doctors and consultants employed by the NHS
(Excel SpreadSheet, 23.64 KB)

Women and Equalities

Females: Directors

Ben Howlett: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions she has had with businesses on increasing the gender balance on corporate boards.

Caroline Dinenage: I have met with many business representatives since taking on the role of Minister for Women and Equalities and always ensure I use these opportunities to raise the issue of achieving a better gender balance on boards. More recently (October 2015) I spoke at the launch of Lord Davies’s final report where I was able to engage with a broad range of stakeholders who all have a key role to play in this agenda including Executive Search Firms, Chairs and Investors.Lord Davies’s collaborative approach, which engaged all parties, was crucial in achieving the unprecedented number of women on boards we now have in the FTSE 350. The Government looks forward to continuing this approach with the new review on the executive pipeline.

Females: Directors

Ben Howlett: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will take steps to increase the reporting of gender balance on corporate boards.

Caroline Dinenage: This Government is determined to make sure all women can fulfil their potential. This has been a crucial part of the success Lord Davies had in increasing the number of women on boards. We will continue to work with international leaders Cranfield University to ensure continued transparency on this agenda.There are also other reporting measures which are in place which allow us to get a clearer picture of where there are issues and help employers identify where action needs to be taken. We will be introducing regulations that require large employers to report on gender pay gaps and differential bonus payments. Alongside this, as part of the BIS Narrative Reporting Requirements, FTSE listed companies need to report on gender diversity at Board and senior management level.These measures have proven to be effective as there are more women than ever on boards, and we are committed to continuing with them in order to see further progress.

Health: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how the PSHE Association guidance on body image is distributed to teachers.

Caroline Dinenage: The PSHE Association guidance on body image is available for download from the PSHE Association website. This is a freely available resource that can be accessed by anyone wishing to find out further information on how to address this topic, and what resources are available to do so. Anyone accessing the website, including teachers, can download the document here: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?ID=1437

Health: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Oral Answer to the hon. Member for Litchfield of 14 January 2016, how the media-smart literacy resources regarding body image are distributed to parents.

Caroline Dinenage: The Media Smart media literacy resource is owned by Media Smart, which is an arm of the Advertising Association. The resource is currently being updated and will be available on their website in due course.